Rock Point Gardens

About Rock Point Gardens

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Rock Point has a several-hundred-year history of farming, logging and gardening and today is no exception. Although there are personal and pocket gardens located throughout the property, the most noticeable are the series of specific gardens that appear as one drives down the entrance road between the Rock Point School and the Diocesan Office Building.

 

The Rock Point vision includes “environmental stewardship” as a strong value, as well as “community” and “education.” Gardening at Rock Point means organic – not certified, but practiced – which means chemical, pesticide and herbicide free, and working in harmony with the seasons and the soil. It means being sure that each garden provides for the hungry by growing something to contribute to The Partners’ Pantry (a volunteer ministry that preserves food and seasonings for the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf to distribute during the winter, when fresh, seasonal produce is scarce or nonexistent). It means being sure that habitat for pollinators and Rock Point’s wildlife is ensured. The gardens at Rock Point include:

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• A school garden that provides food for the Rock Point School;

• A medicinal herb garden that provides intern and apprenticeships as well as herbal products;

• A nursery garden growing plants for specific purposes (such as the pollinator meadow);

• A pollinator meadow replacing the unkempt field under the solar trackers, and its accompanying demonstration garden with volunteer docents;

• The Homeward Bound permaculture garden;

• The Microfarm managed by a farmer providing microgreens for sale;

• The Community Gardens, managed by Burlington Parks, Recreation and Waterfront.

 

In the center of the gardens are an outdoor kitchen/classroom, cob oven, and hoop house. Further down the road are a young orchard and old apple trees. Mixed throughout are Rock Point’s blackberries, used by those who live on the property and The Partners’ Pantry. There are many volunteer opportunities here, both official and unofficial, from work days and groups to Rock Point’s Pollinator Docents and Garden Keepers.