It takes an Island to sustain the Community Greenhouse of Martha’s Vineyard (CGMV), nestled on New York Avenue in Oak Bluffs. This small oasis, supported by around 300 members, thrives on volunteers, with 30 regulars working weekly throughout the summer, and about 10 maintaining the facility during the winter months.
CGMV welcomes both novice and experienced gardeners, with members ranging from teenagers to seniors. The membership is $50 for an individual and $65 for a family, and includes discounts on freshly picked vegetables and blooming flowers, which members can harvest themselves. Sue Miller, president of the board, mentions just some of the organic items they cultivate: “We have geraniums, petunias, shade flowers, and many perennials. There are tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, lettuce, asparagus, garlic, onions, and kohlrabi. In addition to fruits like berries and rhubarb, [we] also grow a variety of herbs — rosemary, thyme, lavender, and ornamentals.”
Membership also offers discounts on programs and access to a supportive community of friendly gardeners who share and discuss grading techniques, methods, and philosophy. This camaraderie was essential to the nonprofit’s founding in 1983, when it was called the Community Solar Greenhouse, and was started by a group of gardeners and volunteers. From the beginning, the nonprofit’s mission has been to grow healthy food, create a social environment for Islanders, and serve as an educational hub for hands-on horticulture and sustainable agriculture.
Volunteers have many options for their work, including potting, planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting. Miller explains, “It fits a lot of people’s needs, ambulatory-wise. You can be a senior citizen who doesn’t walk well, but you can sit in a chair and get your hands dirty taking care of the plants. Then there are people like the facilities manager, Al Mahoney, who loves problem solving, and has helped with the hoop house, which provides extra space for our baby plants in February. Cynthia, our master gardener, is passionate about flowers. If you want to volunteer here, we can find something for you to do.”
CGMV leases the land from Dukes County. Outside, there are fruit trees, blueberries, raspberries, strawberry beds, garlic, various seasonal vegetable beds, flower beds, and so forth. In front of the greenhouse is a large perennial path and a sitting garden with birdbaths, as well as pollinator-friendly plants that attract birds and bees, a large woodchip area donated by local landscapers, and a big composting area. Mahoney says, “This year, we will push to grow and offer locally ‘Island native’ plants. We have been meeting with BiodiversityWorks to identify and grow these species, as we see a need and interest to fill a gap.”
Mahoney describes the welcoming greenhouse: “Inside, it’s more than 2,000 square feet of growing space, with ground beds occupying the central area. Waist-high benches and wide aisles along the side walls are designed for easy access. In the coldest months, the emphasis is on salad greens and cool-weather vegetables, but beginning in early February, vegetable and flower seedlings are started by the hundreds. By May, the greenhouse is filled with flowering baskets, bedding plants, and the earliest tomatoes on the Island.” Miller adds, “In the fall, we ask members, ‘What didn’t we have that you wanted us to grow?’”
The greenhouse is a year-round gathering place for Islanders to grow organic plants. The season kicks off in February, when the call goes out to recruit volunteers for the massive planting of plugs and seeding, which begins in the greenhouse. Mahoney explains, “In February, we really ramp up with ‘all hands on deck’ available winter volunteers. Thousands of plant plugs will arrive, and it will be a flurry of activity to transplant them into pots for growing, as well as germinating seeds, propagating cuttings for growth, preparing soil beds for the warm season, and watering constantly.” Mahoney emphasizes, “We will especially need help then, as many of our volunteers are seasonal and won’t be on the Island until April. We have a core team of winter year-rounders to facilitate our new plants and plans, but we are always looking for and welcoming gardeners for these efforts.” In addition to camaraderie, Miller adds, “Sitting here on a cold winter day when it’s snowing outside and planting in pots, you know spring is coming, and it gives you hope.”
CGMV’s big event is its annual Mother’s Day Sale, which runs into June, during which they sell thousands of newly grown flowers, shrubs, and vegetable plants to members at a discount, and to nonmembers, to start their gardens and landscaping projects. During the summer, CGMV grows vegetables for the community to pick and purchase.
Mahoney says, “Our motto is ‘Come grow with us.’ Planting is rewarding, but our enjoyment of toiling in the soil together is the true spirit. We are considered ‘old-school Vineyard’ as we enter our fifth decade. As we all experience changes to our Island neighborhoods, it is refreshing to enjoy welcoming community involvement.”
For more information, visit marthasvineyardgreenhouse.org.
