Nevada: Carson City Community Garden

Carson garden grows local fans

Sandi Wright
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
7/10/2004 12:01 am
  
   Marilyn Newton/Marilyn Newton
GREEN THUMB: David Know waters a plot of vegetables and flowers Friday at the Carson City community garden. Know, who lives in an apartment, grows carrots, corn, beets, radishes, tomatoes and more in the community garden.
IF YOU GO
What: Gardening Q&A Lecture by JoAnne Skelly
Where: Carson City Community Garden, Beverly Drive
Date: July 28
Time: 5:30 p.m.
  

  
It started with $500 seed money and blossomed into an oasis.

It's Carson City's community garden - a place where people of all ages who are able to experience the satisfaction of gardening get their hands dirty and reap the rewards of a bountiful harvest.

JoAnne Skelly, extension educator, Carson City/Storey County University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, started the community garden in 2002.

"It was something Jon Plank had expressed an interest in, and I had others who were interested so we started looking for locations," Skelly said.

A Carson City supervisor, Plank died in office in December 2002.

Plots for all ages

The city's Parks and Recreation Department offered the garden space on Beverly Drive just east of Lone Mountain Cemetery.

Skelly said the fenced garden is divided into 24 plots tended by people of all ages - from senior citizens to Cub Scouts to young families.

Gardeners are responsible for planting, weeding and watering the 4-foot by 6-foot plots.

David Know, who lives in an apartment, gave a friend's vegetable patch a good soaking in the community garden Friday afternoon before walking back to his own garden.

He bent down and spread the leaves of his zucchini and crookneck squash to check on their progress.

"I love gardens. If I could grow all this on my deck, I would," he said.

At home on his deck he has planter boxes with eggplant, parsley, mint and more.

He cultivates carrots, corn, beets, radishes, tomatoes, bell peppers, beans, peas and more in the community garden.

"I come here every day to water. It gets me out of the house and I really like that," the retired cook said.

Skelly said fresh organic produce isn't the only reason people like to participate in the community garden.

"Everyone likes learning new things, but the social aspect is a big part of why they want to participate. It brings different people together and lets them enjoy the exercise and rewards of growing a garden," she said.

Skelly said she hopes to expand the garden to the north next year and get more youngsters involved.

"Seeing people enjoy themselves is very rewarding. They just light up when they talk about their gardens," Skelly said.

* * *

FAST FACT

Community gardens transform empty lots into green, living spaces. They are collaborative projects created by members of the community. Residents share in both the maintenance and rewards of the garden. There are an estimated 10,000 community gardens within the United States.

Source: Susan Wells Parham, University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana

ON THE WEB

To learn more about the American Community Gardening Association, go to: www.communitygarden.org.

For ideas about gardening with children, log on to: aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/kindergarden/kinder.htm.

For more information about how to operate a community garden, go to: www.mindspring.com/~communitygardens.



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