Last January, the Community Garden Coalition was contacted by the owners of the property that has been the home of our Ash Street Garden since 2007. They had decided to reclaim the western half of this large property for other uses. This meant we needed to clean up that half and move several gardeners and a recently installed shed over to the remaining eastern portion.

Unfortunately, on the eastern side the plots were scattered and most gardeners had installed what I called “Wild West” deer fencing around them. This was a waste of valuable space and made it nearly impossible to mow and weed eat the garden. However, despite these problems the garden was still in use by many families and the board wanted to see it used to its full potential. As we detailed in a previous post, “For Columbia Saves the Day (Again!) at Columbia’s Community Gardens,” we got invaluable help from For Columbia in April to get the garden cleaned up and ready for a re-set.

East half of Ash St. Garden during For Columbia cleanup

At that point, we had cleaned up the mess for the property owners (YAY!), but if we wanted to save the remaining garden area, there was still a lot of work to do. To add to our stress, the gardening season was already upon us, so we had to move quickly. The most important requirement for member community gardens is that they have garden leaders who communicate with gardeners and the CGC as needed. Before the cleanup I had contacted the 2024 Ash Street gardeners and explained that the garden was shrinking and to keep it open we needed volunteers to lead it and  help us revamp it. The Ash Street Garden management team stepped up to oversee this large, diverse garden!

Some garden leaders and cleanup crew.

The leadership team consists of Rudra Baral, Dhruba Dhakal, Hari Koirala, and Pramod Dhakal, all of whom are past or present MU Extension scientists — a definite plus for the garden! Now that we had a team in place, I again contacted all the former gardeners and asked them to let me know ASAP if they wanted to continue. When I had a head count I went out with my husband, Matt, measured the remaining area and using a good old piece of graph paper mapped out new plots and paths that would be easy to mow around, reduce soil erosion and run south to north for maximum sun exposure.

Gardeners harvest last fall’s garlic before the tilling.

Next up, we needed to get the garden tilled. To do this, a crew of gardeners spent another long day clearing remaining trees and brush. We then hired someone to till the planned garden area. We laid out the plots with string and stakes, and the garden leaders began to assign the plots. Hoses were buried to reach the far ends of the garden from the one existing hydrant.

Finally, a crew of gardeners installed deer fencing materials that my husband hauled over there along with two gates he made to let equipment and gardeners in, while keeping out those pesky deer. No more “Wild West” make-do fencing needed! And thank you to the Veterans United Foundation, whose donation purchased the deer fencing materials.

Plots are marked and the second tilling is underway.

Installing deer fencing paid for by Veterans United Foundation.

A gardener in his plot in mid-summer.

A pair of gardeners in their plot in mid-summer.

Garden leaders and friends after installing the new garden sign. It was paid for with a Love Your Block grant!

Despite the late start, the Ash Street Garden had a productive year! There are currently over 30 garden plots producing healthful food and medicines for more than 100 family members and many more friends. With your help and donations we hope to keep this garden going for at least another 19 years!

If you want to see community gardens like this one continue to thrive, please consider donating to support the Community Garden Coalition during CoMoGives! Giving begins on December 1.