Next time you’re in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, take a minute to look to the left of Borough Hall and you’ll find the Ho-Ho-Kus Community Garden, a labor of love built and maintained by a small army of municipal workers and volunteer gardeners. The brain child of resident, Allie Lim, owner of Hungry Harvest Garden, a garden design and build studio, the Ho-Ho-Kus Community Garden started as a project for her Girl Scout troop. But, wanting a way to include the whole town in its development, and encouraged by the women in her Garden Club, Allie approached the town council and worked with them to develop plans to build the garden in its current location.
With the help of the Ho-Ho-Kus Department of Public Works, generous donations of materials and labor from Kuiken and other local businesses, and the Ho-Ho-Kus gardening community, (and 60 very convincing pounds of vegetables and fruits harvested from her first garden) the raised beds, surrounding fencing, drip water lines, and plumbing for this charming space were completed in time for the summer harvest in 2024.
Now in its second season, the Ho-Ho-Kus Community Garden has, says Allie, “brought the community together in ways I didn’t imagine possible”. On any given day, you can walk by the garden and see children and adults of all ages, working together to plant, fertilize, cultivate, weed, and harvest. Juniper Village, a local senior living facility, brings residents to help out, as does the Early Childhood Learning Center.
Allie says, as the mother of two high schoolers, she has loved getting to know the parents of younger kids in the neighborhood who walk by and stop to chat and ask questions, then often come back to lend a hand. She tells the story of more than one resident reconnecting with old friends through their work in the garden, and for many, it’s a way to satisfy their need to get outside and get their hands in the dirt without the constant responsibility of maintaining a garden in their own backyards.
So, what does one do with all the produce harvested from the garden? Well, last year, the garden donated 700 lbs. of produce to local fresh food distribution locations and this year, the plan is to donate again; to St. Andrews in Westwood, First Redeemer in Glen Rock, and the Ridgewood Social Service Association. What’s not donated is offered at farm stands throughout the growing season. Donations are always appreciated but never required and any funds collected go back into the upkeep of the garden in the form of fertilizer, seeds, and supplies.
The Ho-Ho-Kus Community Garden hosts a full schedule of events throughout the season, culminating in a Pumpkin Picking event in October. The next farm stand isscheduled for Thursday, August 14 th at 6:00pm and will feature a Homemade Mozzarella making demonstration by Jimmy Mozz. Bring home a fresh ball of mozzarella and tomatoes, basil, and garlic fresh from the garden, and dinner will be a no-brainer. What else is growing right now? Expect to see cucumbers, radish, eggplant,peppers, green beans, purple beans, cilantro, thyme, and the ever popular fresh cut zinnias that brighten up the outside of the garden enclosure. Future events can be found on the Community Garden page of the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus website.
So, all of this sounds pretty terrific and now you sort of want to start a community garden in your town too? Allie’s advice is first to find a space that you think would be appropriate, somewhere with full sun during the day and the ability to add a water source and fencing. Then, approach your town council with a plan and get buy-in. You’ll want to be able to clearly articulate what you want to do, why you think it’s important, and how you plan to accomplish the project. Funding can come through donations and grants, and recruiting a reliable core group of volunteers is key.
Allie’s enthusiasm for the garden has only grown as she has brought this idea to life, especially as she has seen how quickly the garden has become a beloved feature of the town. Future plans for the garden include changing out the vegetables they grow each year, adding a pergola that can support vine plants, adding irrigation for the crowd-pleasing zinnias, and watching the two apple trees that have been gifted by the town take root.
She feels as if the best lesson learned from the garden is that everything is an experiment and that not everything will succeed. Last year, after an infestation of squash bugs, they had to pull out all their squash plants, clean the soil, and remedy the beds. They learned that onions, garlic, and radish could help and so this year, that’s what’s planted in those beds. In the garden, as in life, approaching every day with curiosity, wonder, resolve, and a great team makes all the difference. Follow Hungry Harvest Garden or the Ho-Ho-Kus Community Garden on Instagram to learn more about this unexpectedly special place.
Ho-Ho-Kus Community Garden
333 Warren Ave
Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ
