Since 2018 we have maintained the Westside Community Garden. This garden is maintained with the help of the students in our youth programs, community members, and neighbors. We are excited to continue to provide this free open source garden to the community. We still have some growing to do....

Our Journey

The Beginning: Fall 2017

In 2017 we decided to embark on the journey of a Community Garden. This was a true task as we had never farmed or considered growing anything before. With the growing need for access to fresh produce we knew this was a journey we must embark on. We started with four raised beds in the fall made out of wooden pallets but we finished those too late in the season to plant anything. 

Our First Harvest: Spring/Summer 2018

Now that we had four raised beds we were anxious to plant our first seeds. Needless to say it went well, not without challenges, but overall we were very happy with the results. It was amazing to see the plants go from seed to harvest. The first year we planted tomatoes, squash, and greenbeans....and there was A LOT of it! 

Let's Try It In the Fall: Fall 2018

With us remotely mastering gardening we decided to give it another go in Fall 2018. Thankfully the students from the After School Program were there to assist and keep up the garden. We planted community favorites: Turnip Greens,Collard Greens, and Cabbage. 

Spring Into Action: Spring/Summer 2019

As spring approached we begin working a representative from the Governors' Foundation on Health to develop programming for Healthier Communities. We decided to renovate and expand our garden with the help of community members and neighbors. Now this was a big to-do for us and you can read about it here. With the new beds in place we were ready to start our new season, new beds, and a new determination to provide open access to fresh produce in our community. 

It's Fall Planting: Fall 2019

After a very successful Spring/Summer harvest we were ready to start with the students in the After School Program. They did a GREAT JOB! 

Still on the Journey: Spring/Summer 2020-Present

Well here we are still going along on our journey. It has been fun and challenging but we're still here. We are grateful to be able to provide free access to produce in our community and we plan to keep growing. We can't wait to see how this years harveset will turn out but so far it's off to a good start. Check out The Hughes Project to see the next steps.