The Wareham Library Foundation is sponsoring a program on Saturday, June 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to kick off a new Community Garden at the Wareham Free Library.

A dietitian will be doing a healthy summer snacks demo from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Library patrons will have a chance to sample the snacks—based on fresh summer vegetables and fruits -- as part of the program. Recipes will be available.

The library will also be featuring books and materials that are part of an expanded collection on gardening, sustainability, healthy eating and other related topics. “Our library staff is excited about the new opportunities offered by our community garden,” said Denise Medeiros, Library Director at the Wareham Free Library. “Libraries are all about creating community -- a place for gathering and sharing information and improving the lives of our residents. What better gathering place than a garden.”

“This project reinforces the library’s new strategic plan in providing residents with a comfortable and welcoming place that stimulates people’s imaginations, creates young readers, and connects residents to each other and the broader world,” noted Medeiros.

The library garden is in partnership with the Wareham Boys and Girls Club. Children from the club have participated in preparing and planting the garden and will be involved with maintenance and growing and harvesting the vegetables throughout the season. The season’s harvest of vegetables will go to the club.

The garden project will feature monthly lectures on a variety of related topics, including:

• The benefits of composting – with demonstrations at the garden, which will have several types of composting bins.
• Sustainable gardening – gardening practices that incorporate sustainable practices such as water re-use, composting through vermiculture and other practices. The garden will have a system of rain barrel irrigation.
• The value and availability of CSAs and Farmers Markets on the South Coast.
• SouthCoast sustainability – information on the sustainability movement on the SouthCoast
• Garden visitors – insects and animals that visit and benefit your garden.
• Art and nature