For a few years, the unused land at the Brandywine Ave. section was used as a vegetable garden for the organization Roots & Wisdom.
In a grant-supported program, youths were taught agriculture, food production and nutrition. The youths participating in the program came from urban minority neighborhoods and suburban affluent neighborhoods alike.
Produce grown was sold at a Fehr Avenue stand to program subscribers. However, Roots & Wisdom ended the Vale garden due to reduction in grant support.
Transitions is now gardening in Vale. The Vale Urban Farm has an innovative model whereby people contribute eight hours per month of garden work for a percentage of what is grown. A 10 foot by 10 foot community garden plot is available to people contributing two hours of volunteer work to the large garden plot.
Produce from the garden is contributed to the Schenectady Day Nursery and City Mission's meal program. Crops grown included tomatoes, cabbage', collard, peppers, radishes, lettuce, broccoli, spinach, and arugula.
Cathy Winter is the project coordinator. For details, visit transitionschenectady.weebly.com/the-vale-urban-farm.html.