News-Journal Longview, Texas, USA 19 Jan 07 http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/stories/01192007Gardening.html ? Gardeners harvest rewards
Community plots foster fellowship among green thumbs; vegetables grown are donated to Longview charity group By MAGGIE SOUZA This past week's weather makes it hard to think about gardening, but Thursday night a small group of local horticulturists did just that, getting a head start on their neighbors. Gathered at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Longview, about 15 people soaked up a bunch of useful planting tips given by Dennis Smith, a Gregg County extension agent. Almost everyone in the crowd owned a plot in St. Andrew Community Garden, a project that has been growing for a year. Most of the produce they grow ? squash, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage ? is given to the Longview Community Ministries food box. So far, the rewards of having a community garden have exceeded expectations, said Kathy Crane, a plot owner. "The involvement of the community beyond just church members, the fellowship and the benefit to the food pantry" have been the best parts of the project, she said. The idea germinated a year and a half ago, when a member of St. Andrew brought up his experience with community gardening. The talk sparked interest among church members, and they decided to start one in Longview. A grant from Grace Presbytery in Dallas got the idea off the no-longer-barren ground. "We've been pretty involved in a lot of community ministries, and we wanted to do something a little different," said Steve Crane, husband of Kathy and a co-coordinator for the project. "We wanted to begin a community garden here with the hopes that it would catch on. ... It's kind of new to Longview." Of the 12 plots, which are about 15 feet by 20 feet, a few are available, Crane said. He encouraged anyone interested in becoming involved to contact him at (903) 297-4450, and emphasized the fact that participants do not have to be members of the church. Gardeners must, however, keep their plots clean, respect the other plots and occasionally help out with the one plot dedicated to growing food for Longview Community Ministries. "It's a great opportunity for fellowship with people who you wouldn't otherwise see," Crane said. "It's labor intensive, but like Dennis said, the benefits (are great)," he added. "It's socializing, too," said Charlie Everingham, one of the Community Garden plot owners. Everingham and his son, Chad, joined the garden group about a year ago. During the summer, they grew lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini and other squash, and tried their hands at eggplant and peppers. Now, their soil is all tilled and ready for spring planting. "Most of our produce that was picked was taken to Longview Community Ministries food box," Everingham said. "We were kind of proud of it, so we took some home." Since Everingham doesn't have a garden at home, the project has given him an outlet for real growth. "It was good fellowship," Everingham said. "It was nice to know that you'd go down there and spend a few minutes to half an hour working and someone else would be down there doing the same thing."
