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<p>PLYMOUTH TWP. &#8212; Joseph Gentile and Michelle Van Kirk see a community garden established by the Earth Conservancy in 2000 as an opportunity to feed their family of six throughout the year.</p><p>In their third year of participating in the garden, the Plymouth couple grows a variety of vegetables, including tomatoes, sugar snap peas, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and sunflowers.</p><p>&#8220;I just started gardening three years ago,&#8221; said Gentile. &#8220;And it&#8217;s a lot of fun.&#8221;</p><p>The garden provides about 20 eager gardeners with plots and water at no charge to plant a variety of vegetables they will harvest in the fall.</p><p>VanKirk, a more experienced gardener, said she has gardened for many years and remembers her mother gardening.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s also a way to teach kids responsibility,&#8221; she said. &#8220;They come down after school&#8217;s out.&#8221;</p><p>Although the couple has come up with a system which enables them to work quickly and efficiently, they are not afraid to try new things.</p><p>&#8220;This is our first year for potatoes,&#8221; said Gentile, adding a neighboring farmer has provided them with words of encouragement and advice. &#8220;We started them in our basement.&#8221;</p><p>Bill Koza, of Pittston, also enthusiastically makes his way to the property to plant a variety of vegetables he will use throughout the winter.</p><p>His canning favorites are tomato sauce and peppers and his first gardening effort was inspired by the Pittston Tomato Festival.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve won several awards over the years, including several for biggest tomato,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Koza also plants cabbage, zucchini, butternut squash, onions, broccoli and bell peppers.</p><p>&#8220;I put oatmeal in the ground under the roots,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It makes the plants healthier.&#8221;</p><p>He said the trip from Pittston to Plymouth Township, which he makes &#8220;about every other day,&#8221; is well worth it.</p><p>&#8220;I can remember my mother and my grandmother planting,&#8221; he said. &#8220;So it seems natural.&#8221;</p><p>Elizabeth Hughes, of the Earth Conservancy, said the garden is consistent with the organization&#8217;s mission of mine land reclamation, conservation and economic development.</p><p>&#8220;I see the community garden fulfilling this mission not only by benefiting residents&#8217; well-being,&#8221; she said, &#8220;but also making good, environmentally-friendly use of former coal mining lands.&#8221;</p><p>To garden participants, the summer season will be an opportunity to work hard, gather with family and look forward to a rich harvest.</p><p>To Gentile and VanKirk, who both work full time, the garden, which is off the beaten path, provides a chance to get away from the busyness of life for a few hours and experience a bit of quiet and simplicity.</p><p>For more information, the public can contact Earth Conservancy&#8217;s community garden at 570-823-3445 or email e.hughes@earthconservancy.org.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060816-PlymouthTwpGardens1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Joseph Gentile and Michelle VanKirk weed their garden on Earth Conservancy property in Plymouth Twp. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060816-PlymouthTwpGardens1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Joseph Gentile and Michelle VanKirk weed their garden on Earth Conservancy property in Plymouth Twp. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060816-PlymouthTwpGardens3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Elizabeth Hughes explains how the Earth Conservancy community garden in Plymouth Twp. works. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060816-PlymouthTwpGardens3-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Elizabeth Hughes explains how the Earth Conservancy community garden in Plymouth Twp. works. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060816-PlymouthTwpGardens2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Joseph Gentile and Michelle VanKirk weed their garden on Earth Conservancy property in Plymouth Twp </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060816-PlymouthTwpGardens2-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Joseph Gentile and Michelle VanKirk weed their garden on Earth Conservancy property in Plymouth Twp </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>MORE INFO&#8230;</strong></p><p>For more information about the Earth Conservancy&#8217;s community garden, call 570-823-3445 or email e.hughes@earthconservancy.org.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Plymouth Township community garden: sustenance, recreation