The garden is a project of Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa (FANS). Swannanoa Community Garden is a non-profit, giving garden, grown & cared for by volunteers. This garden is funded by grants, fundraisers, and donations. The produce is taken to Bounty and Soul for distribution to feed those in need in the Swannanoa Valley . We are part of the Gardens that Give of Western NC, a group of people who have giving gardens, that share supplies, knowledge, and a love of gardening.
Our garden started in 2012 when we acquired the use of land owned, by the state, to build a giving garden. Asheville Parks and Recreation gave us a start up grant and the volunteer labor by Warren Wilson College students and community members turned a overgrown field into a productive giving garden.
We received a grant from the Black Mountain-Swannanoa Valley Endowment Fund, an affiliate of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina in 2017 to build a pavilion for shelter from the weather, an outdoor classroom, and a picnic shelter for the community. Please feel free to come have a picnic and enjoy our garden.
We have met many different people, young and old who have volunteered in the garden. They come from schools, church groups, summer camps, community members, family, etc. We like to think of the garden as a wonderful place to grow friendships, along with vegetables and flowers. Our volunteers come from many states, cities, small towns & farms, and all have stories and knowledge to share to truly make our little garden a giving garden in so many ways.
The Swannanoa Community Garden was recently featured in an article in the Black Mountain News.
The Swannanoa Community Garden is located on Clover Lane off Lake Eden Road (map).
If you’d like to volunteer or make a donation to the Swannanoa Community Garden, please contact Sandy Drake at sandyjean51@gmail.com.