The Seaside Cooperative Garden of Swampscott, which opened in 2018, has had an ongoing partnership with Bertram House, which allowed it to set up a gardening space on Bertram House’s property for members to utilize.
Arriving at the garden on a gloomy day, with rain in the forecast but not yet falling, Garden President Sierra Muñoz began her tour of it.
“We’re actually a crew that is happy when it rains,” Muñoz said. “When it rains, we kind of go ‘Oh great, well, nature watered the garden for us.’ So, we’re happy that it’s been raining.”
A wide variety of vegetables and fruit were growing in the garden — from bush beans and silver-slicer cucumbers to eggplants, tomatoes, garlic, and blackberries.
Muñoz said the tomatoes are always a big hit, and they are frequently planted alongside basil and other herbs.
“We co-plant those… both because they go together really nicely in salads, but they’re also a natural pest deterrent,” Muñoz said.
Working at an organic garden, Muñoz said that this type of thinking is a priority.
“We always sort of use non-pesticide herbicide methods when we’re trying to battle garden pests,” Muñoz explained.
It was at this point that the skies opened up, and everyone huddled together under a table with a large umbrella protruding from its center.
Muñoz said that the garden’s members “are all just people who like to garden,” an attribute that lends itself to a fun trial-and-error approach when tackling gardening questions.
“Would this type of eggplant work? Or, what are we going to do about the squash borers? We… crowdsource and search, and try something and, you know, sometimes it works, and some years, we lose our squash to the squash-borers, and that’s fine — but it’s great,” Muñoz said.
Learning hands-on in the garden is a different learning experience than in a class, Muñoz said, adding that garden members frequently share tips and tricks they picked up just weeks ago.
Every year, Muñoz said, there is a “breakout-star” vegetable. This year, members found the carrots to be deserving of the accolade. In another year, it was celery.
The garden is an opportunity for everyone to learn new skills, and each week presents new challenges and experiences with whatever happens to be growing.
This was the garden’s first time growing shallots, which members seemed to feel went over quite well.
Jim Olivetti, a member of the garden, utilized the shallots to cook up a delicious dinner, serving them with chicken thighs.
Karen Whitman, another member, likes to share recipes as well, which are focused on what is growing in the garden at that time.
Members are encouraged to take home what grows in the garden, and excess food is donated to Anchor Food Pantry and other food pantries in the area to limit waste.
Membership at the garden comprises 20 to 24 households each year, some members returning year over year.
Accessibility is important at the garden. Its raised garden beds, designed by co-founder John Piccariello, ensure that all of the herbs and vegetables are within reach.
Children, too, enjoy the garden. Members have them tag along, lending helping hands, and the garden also hosts educational events for the community to attend.
“We have veggie stamping, which you can cut through celery and then put it in on a stamp pad and it comes out looking like a flower,” Muñoz said.
One of the session leads on the day of the visit was Deb Eames, who helps to delegate and determine tasks at the garden.
Eames had worked previously during a summer with a local student program, when students were able to tour the garden and take herbs from the garden home with them.
Additionally, the garden often has visitors from the neighboring Bertram House stop by to take in what is growing.
While the garden maintains a healthy waitlist from season to season, interested parties are encouraged to contact it through its Facebook page or at SeasideCooperativeGarden@gmail.com.
