LEWISTON — Nearly 50 people gathered at St. Mary’s Nutrition Center recently to celebrate the upcoming creation of a new learning garden on-site at the Bates Street location.

Last fall, the nutrition center cleared the lot behind the building and planted a cover crop to prepare the land for a garden. When soil tests revealed lead just above recommended levels, the decision was made to forego gardening this first summer and to instead plant sunflowers to help remediate lead in the soil and beautify the space until a garden can be designed and built.

During the celebration, gardeners from the nutrition center’s youth leadership development programs helped direct the crowd in planting numerous rows of sunflower seeds.

Community members also did a symbolic “planting” of wooden stakes with their hopes and wishes for the new garden, in addition to sharing those thoughts aloud with the group.

Nutrition Center Director Kirsten Walter explained the initial vision for the new space. “There’s a lot of good work that takes place inside our building, but much of our work is outside at community garden sites across Lewiston/Auburn and in schools. We are excited to finally have the ability to highlight that work here in our backyard, and to better integrate gardening components into our cooking, food pantry, and youth programming. This garden will also be built specifically for learning and for people of all ages. In addition, many features will be open for anyone to visit, learn, pick, and eat and for community members to gather and relax.”

Feedback boards with options for garden components were on site. Community members had an opportunity to comment on what they liked and share their own ideas for the new garden while they enjoyed rhubarb muffins, visited the face-painting station and chose a plant to take home.

The goal of St. Mary’s Nutrition Center, located in downtown Lewiston, is to promote community health through urban gardening programs, an emergency food pantry, cooking and nutrition education, youth development programs, and food access initiatives like the Lewiston Farmers’ Market and Good Food Bus.

FMI: www.stmarysnutritioncenter.org.

Community members plant sunflower seeds to help remediate lead in the soil during a Sunflower Planting Party held on Tuesday.

Community members plant sunflower seeds to help remediate lead in the soil during a Sunflower Planting Party held on Tuesday.

Wooden stakes with wishes for “healthy plants” and “a community space for all” were symbolically planted, in addition to planting of sunflower seeds, at the Sunflower Planting Party at St. Mary’s Nutrition Center.

Wooden stakes with wishes for “healthy plants” and “a community space for all” were symbolically planted, in addition to planting of sunflower seeds, at the Sunflower Planting Party at St. Mary’s Nutrition Center.

Bridgette Bartlett, Community Garden Coordinator at St. Mary’s Nutrition Center, plants sunflower seeds during a Sunflower Planting Party held on Tuesday to celebrate the development of a new learning garden on-site at their Bates Street location.

Bridgette Bartlett, Community Garden Coordinator at St. Mary’s Nutrition Center, plants sunflower seeds during a Sunflower Planting Party held on Tuesday to celebrate the development of a new learning garden on-site at their Bates Street location.

Community members provide feedback on the draft garden layout during a Sunflower Planting Party held on Tuesday.

Community members provide feedback on the draft garden layout during a Sunflower Planting Party held on Tuesday.