Joyner Community Garden

At the risk of getting a little slap on the wrist for nosying around in someone else's garden, I am going to tell it all here on the public domain of our generation. I had a heyday yesterday in West Asheville's Joyner Community Garden, one of Bountiful Cities' projects. I was working landscaping across the street, with the Dirty Hoes of course, and at lunch, I performed a little self guided tour of what proved to be a rather impressive community garden. Contrary to what I might accidentally think of when I think of community gardens (weeds, chaos, bermuda grass, etc.), this garden was a meandering little world of abundance and wonder. I was delighted at every turn to discover a diversity of healthy looking plants tucked into every (relatively) neat little nook and cranny of the place. First I followed my excitement into one of the sweet potato patches and sneaked a little peek under the many layers of various organic matters- to find a plethora of stout and intact white sweet potatoes- pretty admirable for Asheville. (Don't worry, Community Gardeners, if you are reading this- I didn't damage the plants or steal any of the tubers...)

Then I cruised around and oohed and aahed over what I believe was orach, or climbing spinach- it was fresh and vibrant in its summery succulence.


My biggest surprise was when I rambled into the bean patch to find rows of seriously LONG green and purple beans. I picked three and wore them as jewlery. (To make up for it, I pulled a few weeds here and there.)



Also present in the garden were tomatoes, sunflowers, various herbs, squash of some sort and giant muppet-like amaranths of various colors and shapes. I am tickled pink that this community garden is so lovely and productive. Years back I sat on the board of M.A.G.I.C. Gardens as a student representative of Warren Wilson College. M.A.G.I.C.(Mountain Area Gardeners in Communities) was a long-standing non-profit organization whose mission was to create and support community gardening in Asheville. Sadly the organization folded after 15 good years of work. For the past I don't know how many years, Bountiful Cities has been the main force in the Asheville community gardening scene, and I have to say it seems they are rockin' it. Good work, Bountiful Cities!