Stafford Community Garden at Lake Manahawkin

Stafford Community Garden at Lake Manahawkin We're all about bringing the community together through a shared passion of gardening!

The Stafford Township Community Garden was established to benefit the local community through the Hunger Foundation of Southern Ocean. The Garden is a cooperative effort with everyone working together to manage and maintain this “grassroots” garden to provide food for those in need. It is meant to increase awareness about the need for hunger relief in our own community. The Garden features an orch

ard with fruit trees & shrubs including apple, pear and blueberries. During the growing season raised beds, made from salvaged materials, support around 30 varieties of herbaceous fruit and vegetable plants -- with most being graciously donated by Reynolds Garden Center. In addition to providing food to the community, the Garden also acts as an outdoor classroom where residents and visitors can learn about living off the land, growing your own food and organic farming practices. The Garden also promotes conservation of our precious natural resources including the use of rain barrels, composting, and planting native species for supporting pollinators -- who are essential to growing food. Throughout the year we host volunteer work days to clean up and maintain the Garden, while engaging and educating local residents.

This year is going to look a little different at the Stafford Community Garden. We’re short on volunteers to help turn o...
05/11/2026

This year is going to look a little different at the Stafford Community Garden. We’re short on volunteers to help turn over and maintain beds. We’re also being overrun by invasive plants, like mugwort. This summer the low beds will not be planted.

Right now we have herbs that can be harvested lightly, along with some leafy greens. We planted tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and green beans. We also planted some annual wildflowers.

If you are interested in volunteering to help at the garden please reach out.

Help a little. 🪏 Take a little. 🥬

Things are coming alive again at the Stafford Community Garden! Yesterday we had some great help from a local Brownie Tr...
04/17/2026

Things are coming alive again at the Stafford Community Garden!

Yesterday we had some great help from a local Brownie Troop to w**d and clean up beds.

We’ve already planted some hardy leafy greens (kale, iceberg, and green leaf) and herbs (cilantro, parsley and dill). You can lightly harvest the herbs if you need for a recipe but plants are still small so use sparingly until they grow more.

We are using coconut hull fiber to mulch this season, as there is a local source that needs to get rid of it.

If you are interested in any of this coconut or coir fiber to use in your home garden this year, please reach out!

Do you compost at home? Great info ⬇️
03/11/2026

Do you compost at home?

Great info ⬇️

Learn all about composting - whether you want to use a worm bin inside, or a larger bin outdoors - from Master Composter Sandra Blain-Snow, with the Ocean Co...

If you’re heading to the Stafford Historical Society concert this evening to hear The Pickles, stop by the garden to get...
08/04/2025

If you’re heading to the Stafford Historical Society concert this evening to hear The Pickles, stop by the garden to get some free .

Bring your own jar and we will fill it with and water to bring home. We’ll be there from 5:30~7pm, so stop by and say hi! ❤️🌻🌸

[Insert pollinator here.]Our efforts to provide more habitat for pollinators is underway. Lots of sunflowers in bloom. L...
07/28/2025

[Insert pollinator here.]

Our efforts to provide more habitat for pollinators is underway. Lots of sunflowers in bloom. Let’s leave them for the bees. Please don’t cut.

We will be working at the garden this evening at 5:30pm. Volunteers are welcome to join us to help w**d beds, plant flow...
07/14/2025

We will be working at the garden this evening at 5:30pm. Volunteers are welcome to join us to help w**d beds, plant flowers and stake vegetable plants. Bring your own hand tools or borrow some of ours.

It will be a nice evening to be outside at the park and enjoy some live music at the lake after volunteering in the community.

Pictured is a To***co hornworm (Maduca sexta) on a tomato plant. To***co hornworms have a red colored "horn" at the base of their hind (black on tomato hornworm).

Help control mosquitoes in your backyard!!
06/28/2025

Help control mosquitoes in your backyard!!

You asked, we made it! The official Mosquito Bucket Challenge sticker is here. Perfect for helping your neighbors learn what your bucket is and why it matters.

🐝 Even better? The QR code links straight to the how-to guide.

Find links to order or download in the comments 👇

🪣 The Mosquito Bucket Challenge is a simple, effective alternative to fogging—protecting pollinators, pets, and people by safely targeting mosquito larvae without toxic sprays.

It’s safe, it's affordable, it's better for biodiversity. And it actually works.

06/18/2025

Due to the thunderstorm activity in the area, we are canceling our work at the garden this evening. 🌩️

06/15/2025

Great way to naturally control mosquitoes in your backyard!

06/11/2025

Volunteers are welcome to join us at the garden this evening.

Address

West Bay Avenue
Manahawkin, NJ
08050

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