Community garden to be ready soon

According to the calendar, spring arrived yesterday, March 20, and Tommy Sullivan spent part of this week getting the Albany Community Garden ready for planting.

This is the fourth year that the area has been made available for limited public use, thanks to Chamber president Ramby Anderson who has given permission for the community to use the old foundation area.

The city of Albany supplied fill dirt at the start of the project, and volunteers like Sullivan and Anderson have prepared the garden for planting.

“Ramby asked me to help several years ago, and I’ve been doing it ever since,” said Sullivan. “I’ve been gardening all of my life, ever since I was a youngster working alongside my grandfather. I’ve always had a garden.”

The downtown location was developed for gardeners who did not have room on their own property to be able to plant and grow flowers and/or vegetables.

However, during the time that the garden has been in use, watering has been an ongoing issue.

“So far the city has not installed a separate water meter, so when someone forgets to turn off the hose, I’ve been stuck with a high water bill,” said Anderson. “I want to be able to have several families gardening here, but I need those who want to use a spot to contact me directly, so we can make sure to avoid any misunderstandings.”

The average day of the last freeze in Albany is March 29, with the latest recorded freeze occurring on April 30 (in 1908). Early planters may need to watch the weather forecasts and thermo-meters and possibly cover tender vegetation a time or two even though the calendar says that it’s already spring.