Published: April 14, 2009 11:17 pm      

Community garden under way Saturday

Dalton’s first community garden will have its grand opening Saturday at Lakeshore Park, but some organizers are already talking about creating gardens across the city.

Brenda Jackson, the Whitfield County agriculture and natural resources agent who organized the garden, said churches have already contacted her about creating gardens to grow produce for their members or for their food banks.

“We have one church group that is working with us (at Lakeshore),” Jackson said. “They are starting with us, but they may branch out on their own at some point. I’ve had one professor at Dalton State College call me. I think she is interested in starting one in Calhoun.”

Jackson said 37 people have signed up for plots. The park has room for about 100 plots, which are 4 feet by 20 feet. Jackson said some people have signed up for more than one plot. There’s a $20 annual fee for each plot.

“Some of them are representing groups,” she said. “There’s a church group. There’s a Girl Scout troop. A couple of families are working together.”

The level of interest in the garden is what she expected for its first year, Jackson said.

The gardeners will work individual plots as well as all contribute to a “gleaner’s garden.” The gleaner’s garden will surround the individual plots and share the produce from that garden with food banks or other needy people.

Who is taking part in the community garden?

“We’ve had everything from ‘I’ve never planted anything in my life’ to ‘I want to teach my grandchildren how to garden,’” said Dalton resident Dianne Atkins, a garden participant. “We’ve got a wide array of people.”

Atkins is one of several state “Master Gardeners” who will advise gardeners with a green thumb.

“I hope it will turn into a community,” Atkins said. “Those that know how to garden will help those that don’t know how to garden.”

Atkins says such gardens are popular in big cities but Dalton is also an ideal location.

“We have a lot of apartments here, and even people who live in houses, their yards may not be big enough for a garden,” she said.

Jackson says the idea for the garden came from Dalton Parks and Recreation Department director Ronnie Nix and J&J Industries CEO Jim Bethel.

“They approached me and suggested we look at a couple of parks,” Jackson said.

While the garden will hold its grand opening Saturday at 11 a.m., the Dalton Parks and Recreation Department has already broken the soil, and volunteers have worked for weeks to ready the site.

“We’ve had group work nights and I’m sure we’ll have one this week,” said Dalton resident Michele Corbin, another garden participant. “But also people have just been going out on their own when they have the time.”

The biggest problem lately, say organizers, has been the frequent rains.

“We did wood borders for some of the plots,” Corbin added. “I went over there Sunday and picked bag after bag up of trash. I plan on spending two evenings there this week, if it dries up, putting down mulch for the pathways.”

For more information, call Jackson at (706) 278-8207.