Before there was a community garden, the Bellport Self-help Gardens, under the leadership of Joop van der Grinten, delivered seeds and seedlings to families for their home gardens with donations from the Bellport Garden Club. Years earlier the lot was affectionately dubbed "Pinkney Park" by Joe Pinkney, who now owns a tree service company. He and the neighborhood boys played baseball there every summer. He has recently become one of our generous donors of wood chips. By 1980 the lot was a dumping ground. It took three years of hard work to remove the concrete blocks and debris and build the first planting beds. To this day, concrete, black top chunks, aluminum cans and various pieces of metal are unearthed each year.
25' X 30' planting beds were roped off for the first families to plant whatever they wanted with the understanding that only organic methods were used; no chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. A well was dug with the help of Bellport Rotary Club member, Hugo Gianotti and later water pipes supplying Suffolk County water were installed. Throughout the years interest in the garden waxed and waned. In 1990, there was much interest in the garden when Kathy Zbazis was awarded a grant from the South Country School District to conduct an Even Start Program at the Garden. The children and parents involved in the early education program came regularly and supplemented their summertime meals with fresh vegetables they planted and harvested themselves. When funding ended, activity at the garden lessoned. Father Tom, a former landscaper and agricultural educator brought new life to the garden in 2007. He spent much of his free time digging, mowing and tending to the overgrown lot. When the harvest came in, he walked around the neighborhood gifting people with zucchini, garlic, tomatoes or whatever he grew while inviting the Spanish speaking people to participate in the community. In 2009, Betty Gundlach presented a plan for the garden that included raised beds and perennial edible plants. She wanted to plant flowers for beauty and to attract predator and pollinating insects. A core group of garden enthusiasts built an 82 foot diameter 'labyrinth' with a grape arbor in the center with a grant from the Town of Brookhaven secured by Councilwoman Connie Kepert. Long Island Compost donated two tractor trailer loads of compost for the project. Steve Gundlach picked up countless loads of cardboard from the Town of Brookhaven along with b**r waste from the Brickhouse Brewery, coffee grinds from Bellport Deli and seaweed from the Bay. The entrance to the main pathway is graced with a pergola that supports grape and clematis vines built by Betty's husband, Steve. In the future, Gundlach hopes to create a meditation garden, a look-out hill for kids and an orchard. The current garden committee hopes that the garden will be as diverse in plant life as the people are in the community. We hope the Garden will be a source of community pride and nourishment as more families participate in its growth as well as a restful place to walk, take pictures and enjoy nature.
