New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill is pleased to announce it has received a $25,000 grant from the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture to increase the size of New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s Vegetable Garden, which will lead to more fresh produce to combat food insecurity in Worcester while creating more educational opportunities to teach visitors how to grow their own food and to advocate for sustainable agricultural methods.
The Vegetable Garden, tended by New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s Horticulture Department and volunteers, is one of the oldest gardens and most popular spaces on the nonprofit organization’s property in Boylston, Mass. Visitors are inspired by the beautiful, creative, and functional arrangements of rare and well-known vegetables and herbs. Guests of all ages also learn the agricultural connections between people and plants by tracing where food comes from and how it is grown.
Congressman Jim McGovern thanks New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill staff and volunteers in 2020 for their produce donation efforts.
The Vegetable Garden has over the years served an important role of providing fresh produce to service organizations which distribute food. As the need during the pandemic grew in 2020, staff and volunteers harvested and delivered over 1,200 pounds to the Friendly House and the South Worcester Neighborhood Center.
“We’re thrilled to be able to support the expansion of New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s excellent Vegetable Garden,” says John Lee, president of the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture. “New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill has decades of experience teaching the public about agriculture and their plans to educate more guests while giving back to the Worcester community are in line with what our Society values.”
The grant will support New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s efforts to expand the 5,000 square foot garden to 15,000 square feet.
“This expansion will allow us to add perennial culinary herbs, fruit trees and bushes, and rotational agricultural crops which have not been able to be a substantive part of the display before,” said Dawn Davies, the horticulture manager at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill and the creative force behind the Vegetable Garden’s annual design. “These are key elements to strengthening our agricultural display and the varieties of fruits and vegetables that are shown.”
New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s Vegetable Garden provides educational opportunities.
Allen Berry, a MSPA trustee, expressed his gratitude to all who made this collaboration possible.
“It has been wonderful to watch New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill evolve into a vibrant place for the community,” Berry says. “New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s focus on education and evolution as a place that values diverse experiences was a key reason that the Society, who shares these values, supported this project.”
Berry and Lee are longtime supporters of New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill and are grateful for the connection between the two organizations.
“New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s commitment to giving back to the community is inspiring,” said Berry. “We’re thrilled to be able to play a role in expanding the garden’s reach.”