Location: Two garden sites totaling 2500 square feet are located on the grounds of the City of Bowie Kenhill Center adjacent to the Bowie Food Pantry at 2614 Kenhill Drive, Bowie, Maryland.
Mission: Provide clients of the Bowie Food Pantry with fresh produce to supplement standard canned and packaged provisions. Harvests are performed on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings before the pantry opens to clients at 9:00 AM.
History: The garden was established in 2014 and has provided a total of 17,700 units of produce worth an estimated $24,900 to the Food Pantry over the past three years.
Contributors: Each year, 15 to 20 local gardeners have volunteered their time to the Food Pantry to perform production, maintenance, and harvesting operations. The City of Bowie provides the site and access to City water. The Bowie Crofton Garden Club provides financial donations that partially cover expenses for seeds and materials. Boy Scout Troop 403 has aided in preparing and fencing the garden sites in selected years. Ocean Compost LLC donated a seafood compost amendment derived from waste from Ocean City restaurants.
Production Practices: Operations resemble more those of a small farm than of a garden. We follow strict crop rotations, adhere to commercial recommendations for sustainable crop production, maximize production by double cropping and intercropping, emphasize organic amendments and cover crops for soil improvement, do not use pesticides, and maintain pollinator plants where practical. Beds are rotated for production of cool-season spring and fall crops such as lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, and onions. Larger areas are rotated for production of summer row crops such as tomatoes, peppers, squash, okra, green beans, and sweet potatoes.
For additional information, contact us as directed in the “Contact Us” tab of this website.
