The Swannanoa Community Garden in the Grovemont neighborhood is in full swing, with Swannanoa residents busy hoeing, weeding, and harvesting vegetables in their rental plots. It’s been an interesting season, so warm and wet that many things have been coming in ahead of schedule. Some of our gardeners are reporting that that’s also true for the weeds, which are indeed reaching July proportions in size and quantity!
Despite the weeds, our gardeners are producing some beautiful results. Pepper plants, corn, and leaf veggies are lush. There is already squash and zucchini fruiting. The most beautiful home grown head lettuce you’ve ever seen is right here in our community garden! Onion bulbs are maturing– and their flowering tops are attracting the attention of beneficial fireflies, butterflies, and ladybugs. We’re all anticipating bountiful harvests, and yes, a bumper crop of weeds along with them. What a great workout! The price of a garden plot gets you produce AND a fitness membership!
In the very near future, we’re expecting to receive tomatoes donated from Painter’s Greenhouses which will fill to overflowing our last two empty plots. Once harvested, the tomatoes will be donated to the Welcome Table and local food banks. Help is needed to weed and plow the two plots so that the tomatoes can be planted. Please contact the Garden Co-Manager (see below) if you can help with this project.
Coming up in August, our garden partners will include students from Warren Wilson College volunteering on their community service day. Our gardeners and other volunteers are welcome to join the fun.
The greatly anticipated shed donation fell through, but there’s a plan B in the works to assemble a shed on site from donated and salvaged materials. If you can help with labor or materials for the shed, please contact the Garden Co-Manager. And please visit the “Swannanoa Community Garden” on Facebook to see photos and read more about our progress.
The community garden is sponsored by the Swannanoa Pride Community Coalition. For information about plot rentals and volunteer opportunities, please contact Sandy Drake, Garden Co-Manager, at 318-5685 or sandyjean51@gmail.com. If you’d like to stop by and see the garden, it’s located on Lanier Lane in Grovemont. Take Grovemont Ave. (towards the Swannanoa Library), bear right on Alexander Avenue, and take the 3rd right onto Lanier Lane. The garden will be on your left.
