Some people need a gardening fix.
Dirt under your nails, sweat beading on your neck, the edge of the garden bed imprinted on your knees and the anticipation to see life budding up from the watered ground.
Some people like to know where their food comes from, and some like to be where their food comes from.
That's why almost all the 38 garden beds at Friendship Community Garden on the corner of Dingle and Wright streets in Sumter are full.
Chairman of the location and a Master Gardener under the South Carolina Master Gardener by Clemson Extension program Bill Strickland says that most of the people who use the garden are retired.
He says it gets them out and about and making friends and that the garden serves as yet another avenue through which older generations like to give back to the community.
"I'm telling you, most communities wouldn't function if it weren't for those free hours that senior citizens provide at things like churches, community centers, things like this," he said. "A lot of it goes unrecognized."
Some of the produce grown at Friendship Community Garden goes to the food pantry at Emmanuel United Methodist Church, and The By Name Project, a local nonprofit, also uses the location to give back to the community.
The garden has been around since 2002, but it looks very different than it used to.
Thanks to grants from the Master Gardener program and the South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development, the community garden has undergone a lot of renovations to make for a symmetrical grid of high-quality garden beds with efficient irrigation.
The water and land are provided by local government, but the upkeep and administrative work are done by locals like Strickland and his wife, Sandi.
Sandi Strickland was a Master Gardener first and soon convinced her husband to become one, too. She's a life-long plant whisperer, having been cheap labor on her parents' farm as a kid. She says multiple Sumter locals feel that same need for a gardening fix she does, which is why there should be more community gardens in town.
"If someone wants a plot and we don't have one available," Bill Strickland said, "maybe they should talk to their city or county councilman. There's some options out there, but the idea is to get fresh produce into people's hands."
Locals interested in reserving a plot at the community garden can contact the Stricklands at (803) 499-1057. It is free, but there are not many open spots left.
Comments