community gardens
ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE
Reno park offers cost-effective plots.
WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY BARBARA TWITCHELL
AJennifer Fox sits in the cool shade of a lush grape arbor, enjoying a leisurely lunch while watering her crop of vegetables.
The interesting thing is that she is miles away from her home. Yet, for less than the cost of a few lattes, she gets to “own” a small bit of this idyllic garden for a whole season.
Fox first heard about Teglia’s Paradise Park Community Garden four years ago. The certified master gardener loves growing her own vegetables, however, her home is in an older neighborhood with many mature trees where shade is plentiful and sun is not. The community garden, located conveniently close to where she works, proved to be the ideal solution. Indeed, it was a deal she couldn’t refuse.
For wanna-be gardeners who have the will but not the space, this community garden owned and operated by the City of Reno provides a valuable and cost-effective space. Individual plots, sized at about 4 feet by 10 feet, cost only $10 each or $15 for two, with a limit of two plots per family. That is for the entire season, April to October, and includes water and all the free gardening advice from your fellow gardeners that you might want or need.
This is the oldest community garden in Northern Nevada and also the largest, boasting 53 plots in all. There are 44 individual ground plots and six raised beds, four of which are wheelchair accessible or reserved for those with mobility impairments. Additionally, there are three large group plots available to organizations, companies, or schools, which provide a great opportunity for team building or community service projects.
Garden Beginnings
For horticulturist Davene Kaplan, helping urban gardeners such as Fox is exactly why she started the Paradise Park garden 15 years ago. The former park maintenance supervisor admits that creating a community garden was her longtime dream. Now retired, she remains an active volunteer with the program.
“I’m kind of like the No. 1 scrounge,” Kaplan says with a chuckle, recounting how she recycled materials to create the garden at virtually no cost to the city. One of her fondest memories is about the marvelous scarecrow that overlooks the site. Former garden participant, artist Victoria Sweedler, created the intricate mosaic sculpture more than a decade ago, building it on her tiny patio and then gifting it to the community garden.
This jaunty fellow is joined by other more humble creations, designed to discourage the persistent and pesky squirrels. Festive pinwheels spin in the afternoon breeze while colorful rubber snakes pose ominously between rows of plants. Some work, most don’t. It’s all part of the challenge and fun of gardening in this little gated community.
Jennifer Fox takes it all in stride. It is quiet and peaceful here, a welcome respite in the midst of her workday. And she gets to harvest veggies, too.
Even with the squirrels, it’s the best deal going and she knows it.
Reno-based freelance writer Barbara Twitchell is an avid gardener. She enjoyed sitting in the cool shade of the grape arbor, swapping squirrel and bunny stories with Jennifer Fox.
Resources
For details about Teglia’s Paradise Park Community Garden, contact the City of Reno Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department at 775-334-2262.
