Belmont Business has plans for community gardens and farmers market

A foundation is being planted for the Community Garden Revitalization Program, which focuses on community engagement and education, as well as the new Belmont Farmers’ Market, scheduled to open in September.

The Rotarians learned of the plans when Ryan Murphy of Honeycomb Café and Heirloom Restaurant spoke at a recent club meeting.

“The community garden is a great platform to combine my passion for farming and service in a program that focuses on engaging our community and engaging with the land in a very practical way,” he said.

“We provide not only a green space to grow fruits and vegetables, but a space to teach and educate about sustainable practices and the importance of understanding where our food comes from.”

Ryan, who has a master’s degree in horticulture, is the sustainability manager for his family-owned restaurants. In this role, he works to realize the full cycle of the farm-to-table concept, sourcing fresh produce and other products from local farmers and businesses.

The Belmont Community Garden, largely unused recently, is a 501(c)3 registered nonprofit organization, located near the railroad tracks behind the Honeycomb Café and other businesses on North Main Street. Ryan hopes to incorporate more raised beds into the space for use by the community next spring.

So far, part of the revitalization process has included plans to build an educational pollinator park with the help of the city, to advance Belmont’s Bee City certification, and its ongoing commitment to supporting pollinators.

Along with plans for a pollinator garden, efforts have been made to engage students from the Belmont Middle School Art Club to help bring color and beauty to the community garden. Students spent weeks painting old rain barrels now proudly displayed in the community garden.