Grab your gardening tools and get ready to get your hands dirty. There is a new Community Garden coming to Downtown Arcadia.
Town of Arcadia Community Development Director Mario Jefferson is always looking for creative ways to break ground and bring the community together.
He said, “It will open to all the citizens but the produce will be distributed by us that way we can make sure everyone will get a chance to enjoy the fruit and vegetables. We will be asking for volunteers to assist with maintaining it also.”
Jefferson along with District 5 Councilman Timothy Williams recently toured the community garden located in Grambling. “We learned that it is more than a patch of land with plants,” said Williams. “It is a shared space where we can sow seeds of friendship, nurture the enviroment and reap the rewards of collaboration.”
Not only will this piece of land be used to provide fresh fruits and vegetables, but will also serve as an oasis where community members can gather, fellowship and enjoy the scenery that the Town of Arcadia has to offer.
“We will be planting flowers to add more beauty and most importantly to attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies,” said Jefferson. “Without pollinators, many of the foods, beverages, fibers, spices and medicines we use daily wouldn’t be possible.”
The next steps are collecting soil samples on the designated land and sending them off for evaluation.
“It takes 2-3 weeks for results to get back. The results will basically tell us if the soil is lacking any nutrients so we can add to it,” said Jefferson. “When we get the samples back we will have a projected date and decide what we will plant based on the time of year.”
Jefferson has already gathered a group of volunteers willing to serve on a committee to get the garden growing, but he could use a few more hands. If you would like to volunteer to assist in making sure this new community garden flourishes, you can contact Mario Jefferson at 318-436-6662.