BELFAST — In 2019, a small group of Belfast citizens started searching for a suitable location for a community garden that would allow the growing of food by individuals who did not have access to land. A site was selected in the heart of the city that would use an underutilized portion of Wales Park. In 2020, this park, located at the corner of Lincolnville Avenue and Main Street in Belfast, saw a flurry of activity as garden beds and paths were laid out and fencing and a shed went up.

Citizens of Belfast are now invited to apply for one of eight plots to garden in the Wales Park Community Garden in 2021. The winners will be chosen by lottery drawing. A separate drawing for two table-height beds will be held at the same time; these beds will be built in the spring thanks to the generosity of the community, which contributed to this specific project through a crowdsourcing campaign at seedmoney.org.

All plots have access to water and were amended with compost or cover crops in 2020. A plot not planted by June 15 will be forfeited to a gardener on the waiting list. A one-time plot fee is based on a sliding scale and starts at $20.

Plot applications are now available on the Wales Park Community Garden Facebook page and the Belfast Parks & Recreation website, and at the Belfast City Hall Clerk’s Office and the Parks & Recreation Office. All applications must be received (or postmarked, if sending by mail) by March 19 in order to be included in the lottery. If you would prefer to email your application, please send a filled-in PDF version of your application to  clifford.WPCG@icloud.com .

If you are mailing your application, please send it to Nat Clifford, WPCG Steering Committee, PO Box 174, Belfast ME 04915. Again, if mailing your application, it must be postmarked by March 19, 2021, to be included in the lottery.

The lottery will be held on March 29, 2021. Winners will be notified by email or telephone by March 31.

If you have questions about the application and registration process, please contact Nat Clifford by cell phone at 202-550-8395 or by email at clifford.WPCG@icloud.com.