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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Community members and local leaders came together on April 22 to celebrate Earth Day in Augusta with a special event marking the opening of a new community garden in the Allen Homes Neighborhood.
To commemorate the day, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the garden, which boasts raised beds, a well-planned irrigation system, inviting gathering areas, and vibrant public art installations.
Lashawndra Robinson, the executive director of Black Farm Street Inc., highlighted the collaborative effort involved in creating the garden. “Today, we’re here because of an initiative that was developed with community input,” Robinson said. “Our vision was to create a space where residents can engage with the earth by planting their own food and enjoying the benefits of gardening.”
Robinson further emphasized the garden’s broader impact on the neighborhood, stating, “Creating a garden is a powerful way to uplift a community. Beyond the garden itself, revitalizing outdoor social spaces, such as basketball courts for all ages and other communal areas, allows neighbors to come together and enjoy time outdoors.”
She added, “What better way to impact a community than with a garden space? But in addition to the garden space, just revitalizing some of the outdoor social spaces, whether that’s basketball for the young and the older. Then also, other spaces so that neighbors can come outside and enjoy that time together.”
The garden itself includes vegetables, herbs, and pollinator-friendly flowers.
“The number one crop requested was tomatoes. So we’ll have at least two to three bags with all these tomatoes. But as far as the vegetables, we’re planning a variety of vegetables. We’re also planning herbs. So in case you were cooking, you can go outside your back door or right here and walk through the garden in your own community and pick it and use it. You don’t need permission to do that. It doesn’t get buried in it.”
Artists who worked to provide artwork for the surrounding space shared their thoughts about seeing the garden come to life.
“One of my dreams is to create a big garden,” said Destinee Love, a muralist in attendance. “So I have a garden and a farm and so share it with the community and, you know, live off the land. So, how I created it was I actually, use myself the actual picture of me, and I was like, you know, I’m gonna make myself have a big fro and have my hair be the garden.”
“I liked having lots of, glimpses and slices of life of the different people,” said Emily Bender, a muralist. “And just like lots of diversity in terms of age and what they look like and what they’re doing. To showcase this sort of community that they’re building.”
“I feel very grateful for this opportunity,” Love added. “And I’m excited for this community to come together. And, you know, for the generations to have that type of, experience of farming and, planting. You know, I love it. I just love it.”
Robinson said the garden is the result of community collaboration and teamwork.
“If we all play our part, if we’re all doing what we’re called to do, if we’re all planting our seeds, watering them, nurturing it, and whatever capacity it will grow in, the earth continues to thrive off of what we put into it, so that we’re not just takers of the earth, but we’re also givers.”
The project was led by Black Farm Street Inc. in partnership with Augusta Locally Grown, the City of Augusta Housing & Community Development Department, the Augusta Housing Authority, and the Greater Augusta Arts Council.
Photojournalist credit: Avery Van Dusen