Somer's Garden

Somer's Garden https://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/news/somers-garden-helps-community-heal/77-1697492

“From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

http://fcnews.tv/1p98xkN Our story as told by First coast News.

1152 Gano Avenue in Orange Park, Florida is Northeast Florida's FIRST PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE FOOD FOREST GARDEN. It was an empty lot,

void of life and only remembered for the tragedy that unfolded there. It will be just the opposite, a living memorial that teems with a variety of literal and figurative nourishment, all thanks to the forward thinking Somer Sunshine Foundation partnering with a local non profit, Bringing Food Forests To Northeast Florida (BFFTNEF.org) who are dedicated to bringing Food Forests to public lands and supporting local homeschooling students with educational & volunteer opportunities. A beautiful, self sustaining, organic food forest will bring about life, renewal and purpose; while it serves as a memorial to a very special little girl taken from our world far too soon. Food forests promote permaculture principles and are characterized as a low-maintenance sustainable plant-based food production and agroforestry system based on woodland ecosystems, incorporating fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs, vines and perennial vegetables (which have yields directly useful to local communities.) Making use of companion planting, these can be intermixed to grow in a succession of layers; to build a woodland habitats. Please contact Jolinda Kohl with BFFTNEF for questions, comments and/or press requests.
904-444-8375 [email protected]

Celebrate the 4th with veterans on the 5th. The Lions Club of Orange Park, a friend of the garden, is hosting a celebrat...
06/28/2025

Celebrate the 4th with veterans on the 5th. The Lions Club of Orange Park, a friend of the garden, is hosting a celebratory breakfast 🥞 that's free for our veterans & only $5 for everyone else. 🎇🎆🎇

These beautiful, ornamental, flowers need a new home. Free to whomever can come and transport them out. As always, come ...
04/26/2025

These beautiful, ornamental, flowers need a new home. Free to whomever can come and transport them out.

As always, come onto the property at your own risk. 😊

Awww!! I picked up a folded piece of paper by one of our benches and it was this sweet picture someone left. 🥹 Thank you...
03/22/2025

Awww!! I picked up a folded piece of paper by one of our benches and it was this sweet picture someone left. 🥹 Thank you to the sweet artist that left it.

Look at all of these seeds!! Who's going to help us get them in the ground during this Saturday's monthly maintenance da...
08/23/2023

Look at all of these seeds!! Who's going to help us get them in the ground during this Saturday's monthly maintenance day??

We wouldn't have these donated seeds if it weren't for our wonderful friends at One EPIC Farm and other community supporters like Kitty Lane and Bridget Jackson from Lowes in Middleburg. Thank you all so much for supporting Somer's Garden.

07/30/2023

Pull 'em when you see 'em! 🌱
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Annual w**ds are so teeny tiny when they germinate and they take about two seconds to pull. That same w**d a few weeks later requires some kind of little shovel, maybe a pair of gloves, a lot of effort, and even with that you might just break off the top to have it grow back.
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If you leave it another couple of weeks it'll flower and make seeds and suddenly turn into about 10,000 more. Honestly, I don't know anything in my life that is as high leverage as stopping for two seconds to pull up simple annual w**ds. Nothing comes close.
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Literally, I can take two seconds and spare myself 10,000 more w**ds, each of which, if they're grown, could take, say, a minute or two to pull. Silicon Valley put that on for size. The tech bros say, “Digital leverage… automation, blah, blah, blah,” and I’m like, “Try me.” (Granted, I’m not against saving work in other ways; it’s just they don’t have a monopoly on leverage.
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So when you're walking through your garden and that little annual w**d is popping up in your pathway, take the two seconds.
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By the way, for the w**d lovers out there, yes, this is Spanish nettle, and yes, it does have medicinal and edible and beneficial insect properties.
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However, this is my pathway. It can't grow here. I won’t permit it. In the vacant lot, over in the hedgerow on the perimeter of my garden, sure. It can do all those good things, but not here in my pathway. At the end of the day, I'm a farmer, not a plant charity.
**dmanagement

Happy Earth 🌎 Day, y'all. Be sure to get out and play in the dirt or touch some grass. Thank you, Teri of Angels Family,...
04/22/2023

Happy Earth 🌎 Day, y'all. Be sure to get out and play in the dirt or touch some grass.

Thank you, Teri of Angels Family, for taking these pics of today's maintenance day and for all your dedication and hard work for Somer's Garden. Bummer we didn't get a pic with Diena while she was there.

Link for Angels Family in comments

Longtime friend of the garden, Teri from Angels Family Recovery Journey, has lit up the garden with Somer's favorite col...
12/24/2022

Longtime friend of the garden, Teri from Angels Family Recovery Journey, has lit up the garden with Somer's favorite color. Beautiful! Thank you, Teri!!

Merry Christmas Eve to all. May the Christmas spirit fill you throughout all of 2023.A big thanks to Teri and her group ...
12/24/2022

Merry Christmas Eve to all. May the Christmas spirit fill you throughout all of 2023.

A big thanks to Teri and her group from Angels Family Recovery Journey for sharing their Christmas spirit with everyone at Somer's Garden.

I know what we'll be doing during this month's maintenance day. Tropical storm Ian decided to move a few things around f...
10/10/2022

I know what we'll be doing during this month's maintenance day. Tropical storm Ian decided to move a few things around for us. We'd love for you to join us for the clean up.

10am to Noon, October 22nd.

Epic maintenance day yesterday! Super huge thank you to the American Heritage Girls, Troop 1512, for choosing to volunte...
08/28/2022

Epic maintenance day yesterday! Super huge thank you to the American Heritage Girls, Troop 1512, for choosing to volunteer with us.

We were so fortunate to have Diena Thompson join us yesterday too. She brought some generous and amazing friends to help too!! Thank you all!! The garden has never looked so manicured in August. lol. Truly stunning! Thank you!

Address

1152 Gano Avenue
Orange Park, FL
32073

Telephone

+19044448375

Website

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