Lindsey Dohm: Sowing the seeds of community

When Lindsey Dohm and her neighbors were frustrated by the amount of vandalism at Mount Rose Park, that sowed the seed of an idea

Presented by: Our York Media

There’s a sign at the Mount Rose Community Garden that reads, “Grow where you are planted.”

It could also serve as the theme for how Lindsey Dohm developed her passion. 

Lindsey has always loved growing plants, though she says she hasn’t always had the land to do so. As she, her husband and their two children made their home right next to Mount Rose Park, they decided not to wait to start their own garden. 

“We used to say, ‘Once we have more land on our ‘homestead,’ we’ll have a garden and live more sustainably,’” Lindsey says. “But it was pressed into our hearts that you can really steward well what you have right now. We were totally blown away by what you can do with a tiny urban space.” 

It’s way more a bridge to community than even just a garden.

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Lindsey Dohm

When Lindsey and her neighbors were frustrated by the amount of vandalism at Mount Rose Park, that sowed the seed of an idea. She and her husband brought together a group of people and approached Spring Garden Township about creating a community garden in the park.  

And the idea just grew. The township removed a cement picnic area and “a lot of awesome people” volunteered to donate untreated wood, soil and other tools to create the garden. 

Today, the garden offers 10 beds for families or individuals to use at no cost. The best part, however, isn’t the tomatoes or carrots or sunflowers that grow – it’s the relationships, Lindsey says. 

“It’s way more a bridge to community than even just a garden,” she says. “That’s the tool, but we’ve had really incredible conversations with people we may not have had otherwise. It’s a blessing. 

“We have conversations with kids, we’re teaching them,” Lindsey continues. “There’s these big and amazing opportunities we have to connect through the garden, and that’s the thing that gets me so amped about watching it grow.” 

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