NEWS

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A hearty crowd of townspeople and students grabbed garden tools Saturday and helped put the Community Garden to bed for the winter. It was the tenth anniversary of work on the plot at the corner of Potts Street and Catawba Avenue. The nonprofit venture has been tended during the decade by volunteers who simply show up weekly to help for a couple of hours. They work under the guidance of Connie and Eddie Beach, recipients of the Jack Burney Community Service Award, who originated the idea of a community garden as a service project for the Davidson United Methodist Church.

The garden operates under a simple motto: “Tend some, take some, share a lot!” Volunteers are welcome to harvest a fair share of vegetables they tend, but only some. The large majority of flowers and vegetables harvested are donated to the Ada Jenkins Center Loaves and Fishes food pantry for people who need fresh, nutritious items for their tables. This year’s yield was about 1,500 pounds. The garden is not divided into parcels for individuals, but in the spirit of Davidson as “one big family” it is “one big garden,” tended by volunteers from every corner of town.

It is also a totally organic enterprise, using no pesticides or chemicals, with a goal of enjoying produce eight months of the year.

The final morning’s work last weekend included mulching, digging weeds, harvesting cold weather root crops like turnips, planting perennial flowers, and straightening up items in the tool shed. At the end of the work day, volunteers celebrated by sharing cookies and cider. Work on Season 11 will begin in March.

For  more information, visit Davidson Community Garden on Facebook.