community gardens
COLLECTIVE SPACE
Carson City residents rally around a garden.
WRITTEN BY BARBARA TWITCHELL
PHOTOS BY CANDICE NYANDO
You might call it the little garden that could.
Eleven years ago, JoAnne Skelly faced a daunting challenge. The extension educator at University of Nevada, Reno’s Cooperative Extension in Carson City had received an anonymous donation of $500 — literally and figuratively “seed” money — to start the Carson City Community Garden. She also was given access to a long, narrow strip of land that is basically just a utility easement, located next to the cemetery. Not much of a beginning.
But that is where the word community becomes more than just a part of the garden’s name. Partnering with Carson City Parks and Recreation, as well as the senior center, great things began to happen. Fences went up, water lines went in, soil was amended, and 25 individual plots were parceled out.
| JoAnne Skelly, founder of the Carson City Community Garden, hunkers down in the garden |
The saying goes, “If you build it, they will come.” And did they ever! That dusty strip of barren dirt was transformed, almost overnight, into one of the most sought-after gardening spots in the area. In fact, every year since it opened in 2001 there has been a waiting list, Skelly says. They already have one for next year.
And why not? At $10 for the whole season for a 4-by-16-foot bed, it’s a real bargain. And the deal includes water, compost, fertilizer, and even some gardening tools.
Dirt Share
All participants share two traits in common: a love of gardening and a lack of space to garden. Other than that, Skelly says, the garden community is a very diverse group. There are all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities — young families to seniors, novices to master gardeners.
“It’s a very social experience,” Skelly says. “They all cooperate to help one another … and often share whatever they grow.”
That sharing extends into the community at large as well. One bed is designated as a communal plot and all produce from it is donated to local food banks. Participants also add surplus harvest from their own beds to the bounty.
“We might get up to 500 pounds [to donate] some years depending on the weather,” Skelly says. This is amazing for such a small parcel of land.
With the great success and popularity of this garden, is she ever pressured to expand it?
“Yes! All the time!” Skelly says with an emphatic laugh. “The initial startup costs are the issue. We would need to raise some money to expand … and you know what budgets are like right now.”
Her voice trails off as she begins detailing all the things that would have to be done, already envisioning it in her mind’s eye as she gazes at the empty swath of land just beyond the garden’s back fence.
And you can almost hear a faint whisper on the breeze: “I think I can … I think I can….”
Seed money, anyone?
Barbara Twitchell is a Reno freelance writer who greatly admires the innovative spirit and creative energy of this enterprising group of gardeners.
Resources
For details about the Carson City Community Garden, contact JoAnne Skelly at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Carson City/Storey County office, at 775-887-2252.
