Grow Well Kingston will host its annual Community Gardens Bicycle Tour this Saturday, Sept. 7, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Grow Well Kingston began in 2020 as a collective of organizations and individuals dedicated to supporting Kingston’s community gardens. “During the pandemic, a few community members

were really like, now is the time to do more community gardening, and some of these gardens were already in place, but there was definitely a need to care for them more,” said Emily Flynn,

the city’s director of Health and Wellness. “I think there was an idea that being more aware of our food system was important, and gardens could help food security.”

Grow Well then decided to begin hosting an annual tour of community gardens for stewards and community members to interact and share. Members of Grow Well found that riding their bikes was a great way to visit the gardens.

On Saturday’s tour, participants visit George Washington Elementary School at 67 Wall St. at 9 a.m., the South Pine City Street Farm at 27 South Pine St. at 9:45 a.m., the Barmann Park Garden on Greenkill Avenue across from the Boys and Girls Club at 10:30 a.m., the YMCA Farm Project at the YMCA of Kingston behind 507 Broadway at 11:15 a.m., and finally, the Rondout Gardens Community Garden at Murray Street at Rondout Drive. Afterwards, participants will enjoy a picnic lunch.

Each of the gardens operates differently but are generally managed by the Kingston community and nonprofits. George Washington Elementary School has a garden set up for the children,

but also has community plots available. The Pine Street City Farm and YMCA Farm Project both provide fruits and vegetables to the community via farm stands; Pine Street City Farm works with Ulster Youth Build and the YMCA’s is run by community members, high school students, and parts of the Grow Well collective. The Rondout Garden allows community members to receive garden beds and garden themselves for free. Barmann Park is structured in that there are gardens for different produce, such as a tomato-raised garden and a zucchini garden bed

Members of the community all work collectively to take care of these gardens, and they can take some of the produce home.

The tour will spend about half an hour to an hour at each garden, where participants will get a chance to hear from the stewards and ask questions. Organizers hope the event will raise awareness for the community gardens, attract volunteers, and for participants to learn more about gardening. It also connects participants, especially youth, with the growing process and having a deeper connection with the food we eat.

According to Flynn, “We’re always looking for people to join Grow Well, and the tour is good for people who are curious about gardening but don’t know how they fit in.”

Bicycles can be requested by calling Emily Flynn at the City’s Health and Wellness Department at (845) 334-3909. Comfortable clothes, water, sunblock and snacks are all recommended.