BOLIVAR, Tenn. — Plant a seed and watch it grow, the Bolivar Community Garden is getting ready to begin its third year of community gardening.
“In 2019 I had a community interest meeting at the library. Julian McTizic, the mayor of Bolivar, showed up and [said we’ll] give you what ever you would like and need for this garden, and we’ve been looking for it to happen. We just needed someone to push it through,” said Brittney Willis the Garden Manager for the Bolivar Community Garden.
The garden started in 2020. With the help of the city and a few grants, the garden was provided with high-power water sources, a fence for the area, raised flower beds and more.
“We come out here and then we got started even through COVID. So when COVID kind of settled down in 2020, they were here. So volunteers are mainly what consist of his garden,” Willis said.
When volunteers arrive, Willis will give them a rundown of what plants are being grown and where tools are kept.
“We have some people that come that garden heavily at home, and they want to talk garden talk, shop when they come. Other people are just listening in all ears and don’t know anything yet about gardening. So it’s a great place for people that know what they’re doing and want to learn more, and people that know nothing, and everything is new and excited to them,” Willis said.
The garden opens on April 5, and although it’s still a little cold outside, there are only a few more weeks until we’ll start seeing some of the plants sprout.
“The leafy greens come on first. The strawberries are coming in soon. The asparagus should be ready here in a minute, but whenever the middle of the season starts, I am sending people home with five to 11 pounds of produce when they leave here after our two hours,” Willis said.
The garden will be open to volunteers on April 5, and will be open on Tuesday, Thursdays, and every first Saturday.
Those times for the garden will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on every first Saturday.
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