It's been a year since Valerie Seeve first planted the idea of creating a public garden in the Village, easily convincing Key Biscayne Council members that a beautification and environmental project was worth funding.
On Tuesday, April 22, which happens to coincide with Earth Day, the Key Biscayne Community Garden will have its grand opening on the site adjacent to the Beach Club, displaying the meticulous work of more than 90 volunteers.
Volunteers helping out at the community garden.
"It's still new, still like a baby, starting to crawl," Seeve said. "It's been a fun project so far. I'm hoping the community gets even more excited and we'll get a lot more people involved."
Already, some 150 plants, including cabbage, tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce and eggplant, along with dozens of herbs, are among the eight flower beds, made from 100 percent recyclable metal, ensuring food safety.
"There's been so much love and excitement from the people who have volunteered and those who walk through (the garden area) to the beach," Seeve said. "People love what we've got."
Tuesday's grand opening, from 5:30-6:30 p.m., features music from a student DJ and appearances by several Key Biscayne officials.
Village Manager Steve Williamson said he is looking forward to the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
"It is another example of the volunteer spirit of our residents. They come with great ideas and, together, we make it special for the entire Village," he said.
Seeve, originally from Peru, moved to Key Biscayne about 14 years ago from New York.
What she envisioned was taking concepts from her own garden to a much broader concept that everyone could enjoy.
Volunteers at the garden.
"To be honest, it's what I thought from the beginning," Seeve said. "Not just a place to get fruits, veggies and herbs, but a place where the community can come together and work together, and an inclusive place where all ages can take part, and use it as a part of therapy."
Seeve said there's been no pressure to meet any certain deadlines and has enjoyed the support of Williamson, along with Parks and Recreation Director Todd Hofferberth and Julie Kartrude, who is in charge of Community Projects and Events.
"They're all pretty easy to work with," Seeve said.
Her primary team consists of Cintia Pastuskovas and Camila Robyn, as well as 11th-grade student Teresa Rabach, who oversees social media and oversees the compiling of community hours for her fellow students.
"Working with a lot of volunteers and working with the community has been awesome," Pastuskovas said.
Pastuskovas has a background in putting together events, something she'd like to do on a regular basis with the garden as the focus.
A group of volunteers with a "Thank you!" under.
More than a month ago, about 25 people showed up for two consecutive weekends of "super hard" work, leveling the area, adding limestone, building the flower beds with premium soil that was purchased and then mixing in the 24 gallons of compost from Helene Iturralde's team at A Zero Waste Culture before the 150 plantings.
Teenagers, families, seniors and special needs members of It Takes a Village have all chipped in to help.
"There are a lot of vegetables and herbs and some flowers," Pastuskovas said. "It's a little bit early, but maybe we can have that first harvest soon, and the people that help (two days a week) can take some of those vegetables and herbs home."
Seeve said the entire concept of the garden has plenty of benefits.
"It's people coming together, they have a space outside close to nature, they learn about plants and can enjoy what they harvest," she said. "This is a way of giving back to the community, from the garden to the kitchen ... it's priceless."
To learn more about the Key Biscayne Community Garden, follow on its Instagram site - @keybiscaynecommunitygarden.
