For senior citizens, gardening offers numerous benefits in the form of physical, mental and emotional exercise. However, it only offers these benefits if you have a place to grow vegetables or flowers.
If you are a senior citizen who would like to garden but live in senior housing, an apartment, mobilehome park or other housing that lacks personal outdoor space, you need to be aware of the Senior Community Garden located at the DeWitt Center in Auburn.
Established in 1987, the Senior Community Garden began as a cooperative effort between Placer County and the University of California Cooperative Extension.
The garden offered plots for seniors to utilize for growing vegetables, herbs and flowers. The location was near the Multipurpose Senior Center at DeWitt.
In 2005, the garden was relocated to a more appropriate site at the DeWitt Center to enhance the design, accessibility and feel of the garden.
In June of 2006, the new Senior Community Garden opened, providing 30 16-foot- by-16-foot gardening plots.
"The old garden wasn't fenced and had water and storage shed problems," said Kevin Marini, manager the garden. "A lot of the senior gardens from the old plot moved over here."
Marini is also manager of the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener program in both Placer and Nevada counties.
The new garden, which is now part of a small and unused athletic field close to the Master Gardener office, includes a perimeter fence with two locked gates for security and safety, an irrigation setup that provides each senior gardener with a hose spigot for easy watering, a spacious shed for tool storage and picnic tables with benches. The level ground offers defined gravel paths.
Many of the plots are shared between friends who come to the garden daily to tend plants, exercise and enjoy lunch outdoors.
Now in the second growing year, the garden is a mixture of vegetables - different varieties of tomatoes, corn, pumpkins, squash and beans.
"Many gardeners rely on eating what they grow, especially if they are on a fixed income," Marini said.
Roses and many different flowers for cutting add color to the garden.
Placer County may someday have its own demonstration garden similar to the garden operated by the Nevada County Master Gardeners at the Nevada Irrigation District property in Grass Valley and others.
"The Placer County Master Gardeners are looking for a demonstration garden site that would be similar to the Fair Oaks Horticultural Center," Marini said. "We need a place to be able to demonstrate all the things we are trying to teach."
Using the Fair Oaks Horticultural Center as a model, a smaller scale horticultural demonstration garden and a community garden could be developed at DeWitt Center.
In my opinion, the small, grassy athletic field next to the Senior Community Garden could easily become a horticultural demonstration garden.
The Placer County Water Agency is very interested in working with Placer County Master Gardeners to develop a demonstration garden, Marini said.
One potential site is the PCWA's Heritage Center on Ophir Road. A demonstration garden at the site would emphasize water-efficient landscaping.
Every plot at the Senior Community Garden, located on E Avenue near Third Avenue, is assigned and cultivated. And there is a waiting list should plots become available.
If you are interested in gardening at the Senior Community Garden, contact Kevin Marini at (530) 889-7385 or visit 11477 E Ave. at the DeWitt Center.
Saul Wiseman can be reached at swiseman368@sbcglobal.net