Project Vermont Gardens - 1975

 BACG History Post #15

By 1975, the back to the land movement in Vermont was in full swing. Participation in food co-ops, farmers markets, and community gardens increased dramatically during the first half of the decade. Baby boomers who grew up on canned foods and TV dinners shifted preferences to fresh locally grown food. The organic gardening movement questioned the rationale of chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides.

The Garden Way Living Center offered free vegetable gardening classes at South Burlington Middle School, presented by Dick Raymond. On Town Meeting Day in Montpelier, budget conscious city residents voted down several ballot items. Yet voters approved setting aside land and funds to develop community gardens. 

Against this backdrop, the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont partnered with Gardens for All and the UVM Extension Service to launch "Project Vermont Gardens" as described in the news article below. 

The Diocese, headquartered in Burlington at Rock Point, encouraged each of its Vermont parishes to sponsor a community garden. 

Gardens for All agreed to provide training and materials for coordinators. UVM Extension created a new program to train "master gardeners" to offer vegetable gardening assistance to community gardeners.

Please click the image below to enlarge the article for reading.

In 1974 and 1975, the Cathedral of St. Paul hosted a large community garden off Pearl Street, adjacent to the Vermont District Court building. 

This color image of the community garden at the Cathedral of St. Paul shows the view of the garden facing west toward Battery Street and Lake Champlain, with the Cathedral to the north.