Grow it Green Morristown’s newest project, an agricultural teaching garden, is in the initial funding phase. The Urban Farm at Lafayette will serve as a living classroom for both the children of the Morris School District, as well as the local community. Additionally, the produce from the farm will be donated to the District and to area food banks.
This educational Urban Farm is located at the Lafayette Learning Center on Hazel Street, in one of Morristown’s most diverse neighborhoods and one of the most economically challenged areas of Morris County. When Grow it Green Morristown envisioned this project, they had a strong commitment to securing this specific site, believing that this garden will be so much more than just a place where plants grow. It will be a place where community grows.
When Grow it Green Morristown aquired the site, it was in ill-repair, with defunct play equipment and broken bleachers. This coming growing season, these play structures will be given new life, as they are re-purposed into trellises and arbors; an old baseball backstop will become a shade house where students can work at potting benches. The farm beds have been created by rototilling and amending the soil with compost, and the entire garden was recently fenced with a very attractive 7.5 foot fence via a generous donation from CRI’s Franklin Parker Small Grant Program. At The Urban Farm at Lafayette, Grow it Green Morristown will be providing educational opportunities to the District, as well as to the general public. Planning and outreach will be directed by a core team, while a head gardener will run the day-to-day operations of the farm. The Urban Farm at Lafayette is well positioned to be a leader in the national school garden movement as it follows a unique approach, creating a private/public partnership to accomplish mutual goals of education, outreach and environmental stewardship.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Agricultural production: Local food systems- urban gardens & farms
Total Project Cost: $44,000
In 2009, CRI awarded Grow It Green Morristown a $5,000 grant through its Franklin Parker Small Grants program.
Status: In the initial funding phase.
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources Inc.
