The Community Garden celebrated its tenth anniversary last weekend. We had a nice turnout to celebrate such a milestone and a very pleasant time visiting the different beds and sharing some good food.
It also gave me some time to reflect what the garden has brought along with it while producing some great tomatoes and kale and strawberries. Ten years ago, what was a largely an ignored bit of church property was transformed from a tawdry little lawn into a thriving hub, a gathering place for church neighbors to congregate and share not just gardening but friendship and camaraderie. With the expansion a few years later, this circle doubled. Although we can’t come up with a wholly accurate number, we believe that over two hundred people have shared time as gardeners. A completely uncertain number of visitors have also come through via the Clairemont Garden Tour (three times), and folks just walking by on the sidewalk stopping in to have a look. A repeating theme of visitor’s comments revolve around what a pleasant oasis the garden is, and how serene it can be, even though it is on one of the busiest streets in the city.
While we may sometimes lament upon our ability to change or improve the world, we have managed to change and improve one small part of it with the Northminster Community Garden.
