Please note the change in our operating hours for Town Hall, Lincoln Center, and Weiss Center town buildings. We will be open until 7PM on Tuesdays and closed after 1PM on Fridays. All other days will remain 8:00AM-4:30PM.
November 2: Putting Your Gardens to Bed December 1: Stocking Up for Winter January 4: Growing Food Indoors February 15: Starting Plants from Seeds
The Spruce Street Community Garden began as a volunteer project in March 2014 with a small group of after school students from 1st-4th grade. Together, with the guidance of the Spruce Street Community Garden Coordinator Bettylou Sandy, they were able to build, plant and harvest the first four beds for the spring & feast on their own food in June! Some of the student's parents and neighbors adopted these beds to grow in throughout the summer, and in the spring of 2015, the town adopted the garden and started to build more beds through the help of volunteers, grant funding and town support.
In the following years, the garden grew to 28 framed raised beds of various heights. In November 2020, the Neighborhoods and Families Division, in collaboration with Fresh Start Pallet Products and the Town of Manchester's Public Works Department, were able to rebuild the garden as an inclusive and accessible community garden for the East Side neighborhood and the broader Manchester community. The garden then consisted of 28 framed raised beds, all of which are 4 feet wide by 8 feet long by 3 feet high. In addition to the garden bed renovations, the garden also received improvements to its composting system, water harvesting system and a stable footpath.
In 2022, the Neighborhoods and Families Division, in collaboration with Fresh Start Pallet Products and the Town of Manchester's Public Works Department, added 6 single-high beds, 6 double-high beds and a learning rotary garden. The Spruce Street Community Garden now consists of 41 accessible community garden beds.