By Abby Baker
Staff Intern
The second annual Earth Day Fest will be held Sunday, April 17, at the Plant City Commons Community Garden, 2001 E. Cherry St.
Earth Day Fest coordinator and founder of the community garden Karen Elizabeth is ready to show off Plant City’s developing garden to the public at the event. The garden was first founded in 2012 and was located at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.
Hillsborough Community College eventually donated the space for the garden when University of Florida pulled out of its
horticulture program.
“Everyone is astounded that this is here,” Elizabeth said. “Plant City actually has its own botanical garden.”
Five days before Earth Day, Earth Day Fest will include a drum circle and a $5 dinner. All proceeds go into funding the community garden.
“It’s a great way to kind of welcome the Earth Day week,” Elizabeth said.
While some of the menu items are still to be decided, there will be ziti and salad, ending in a dessert. The pasta will come with the option of gluten free, vegetarian or “carnivore.”
Many of the ingredients used that will be used in the salad and main dish were grown in the garden.
“There’s a whole different feeling being able to hold a tomato you grew and say, ‘I know everything there is to know about this tomato,’” garden volunteer Rosalind Baker said.
Tables will be set up in the front of the garden, and a local rock band called Vegan Zombies will be performing live music.
The drum circle will start at 6 p.m.
“The rhythms are earth based,” Elizabeth said.
The garden is composed of two plastic greenhouses, one glass greenhouse, a gazebo, benches, themed gardens and a pathway guests can walk through.
“There’s a whole different feeling being able to hold a tomato you grew and say, ‘I know everything there is to know about this tomato.’”
— Rosalind Baker,
garden volunteer