Growth, Greenery, and Generosity in Richmond
One little project is making a BIG difference in the lives of families living in our Richmond community.
Together, our partner families planted their communal garden and watching it grow has become a great fascination for all the children.
Kelley is one of our partner families and has been the driving force behind the garden initiative. She says it was exciting to work with a clean slate and happily rallied the other families through their FB group. The large garden box was completed in June 2021, but the garden remained unused that summer. While maintaining her own backyard garden plot, Kelley was initially reluctant to take over more space in the communal garden. However, as new families moved in, she quickly realized that taking care of a garden was unfamiliar to them.
Inspiration and knowledge required, and Kelley delivered!
More than a dozen people showed up for the first day of planting, and the garden continues to be a gathering place. The children seem to be the most eager to learn. Together they made labels for all the herbs and vegetables and Kelley painted a sign to decorate their green space. Everyone is welcome to contribute, with some who prefer weeding, and others who tend to the watering.
All the yards back onto a communal space where the garden is located. It gets a lot of sunshine and now has some very attentive gardeners. Kelley says she gets regular updates from the children - they come running to tell her when something has sprouted or when they think something is ready for harvest. “It’s really great,” says Kelley. “It’s important for them to see where their food comes from and how it grows.”
People can help themselves and Kelley says there has been great respect shown about sharing. When she harvests, she will often reach out to the other families through their group chat to make sure everyone gets something. Kelley had started some tomato seedlings and donated 10 of hers to the garden. Everything else was started from seed and has mostly been thriving. She has enjoyed watching people trying radishes for the first time and the rapini never made it to a plate, with children eating it right off the stalks! They recently harvested “a lot” of kale, which many are freezing, and they will be drying sage and rosemary. The tomatoes are thriving and will be the next item to be gobbled up. The initially slow growing asparagus may produce for next year. While the plant is a slow starter, once it matures, it can provide harvests for 20 plus years!
Kelley appreciates that it is bringing their small enclave of families together and says they hope to have a pot-luck in the fall where they can enjoy some of the garden’s bounty.
The families are expecting new trees for planting in the fall and will benefit from a recent donation of shovels and rakes and other yard tools that will be made available to everyone.
She can tell there is a new sense of pride around the garden. “It has brought us together and has become a conversation point,” says Kelley.
It’s looking like all this greenery is helping to grow a very vibrant little community.
