Final Crop? Temple Garden Welcomes the Neighbors

From Luis Gomez and Matty Rhoades

See more photos from the open house on Borderstan’s Facebook page and on the Temple Garden website.

The Temple Garden on 15th Street NW had an open house on Saturday, giving locals a chance to meander among tomatoes, basil, rose bushes, garlic, sunflowers and a plethora of other vegetables, herbs and flowers.

There was iced tea, lemonade and dips made with herbs from the garden. The garden plots are available to area residents who have no space for outdoor gardening; preference is given residents in the 20005, 20009 and 20036 zip codes.

What’s in Yonan’s Garden Plot?

Washington Post food editor is among the plot holders. “This is my third season in the garden, after waiting almost three years for a plot. I shared it with former Post food writer, Jane Black, for two seasons, until she left D.C. last fall,” Yonan said.

What’s in Yonan’s plot? A lot!

• Herbs: basil, oregano, sage, lemon balm, lovage, flat leaf parsley, lavender.
• Greens: curly kale, rainbow chard.
• Chile peppers: habanero, jalapeño, Thai.
• Tomatoes: yellow grape, purple Cherokee.
• Summer squash.
• Wild strawberries.

Garden Scheduled to Close

Located between R and S Streets on the grounds of the headquarters of the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite Masons, the garden opened in 1990. It is slated to close after this fall’s harvest (see Temple Garden to Close After 2011 Harvest). The Masons are undertaking a large project inside the temple and need the space for storage. The garden opened in 1990.

However, on July 1, the Temple Garden board sent a letter to the Masons suggesting several alternatives. One request is to simply keep the garden open as is, while others include a smaller garden, a temporary closing, as well as a month-to-month agreement.