BACG History Post #36
The original Champlain Community Garden was a short walk from the Gardens for All headquarters at 180 Flynn Avenue.
The garden site was located to the east of Champlain Elementary School near the chain link fence by the bus barns, with access from Shelburne Street.
Lynn Ocone (photo above on right) and Larry Sommers (photo below) developed youth and community garden projects with Gardens for All.
Charlie Nardozzi (photo below on right) was hired by Gardens for All in the spring of 1981, following his graduation from UVM with a BS degree in horticulture. Nardozzi interned with Gardens for All the previous summer.
Ocone, Sommers, and Nardozzi tested a variety of hands-on gardening activities with kids during the summer of 1981, while providing a healthy project for Burlington children.
Professional black and white photos were taken in 1981 at the Champlain Community Garden.
Several of the photos were integrated into The Youth Gardening Book, authored by Ocone. The guide for teachers, parents, and youth leaders was published by Gardens for All in March 1983.
The Youth Gardening Book was revised and republished in 1990 as the National Gardening Association Guide to Kids' Gardening. Thousands of copies of the resource books were sold, influencing youth and children's gardening programs across the country for more than a generation.
