Growing A Community

The Charleston Parks Conservancy donated a literal ton of produce to local food pantries in 2015. The community beds at each of the Conservancy’s three community gardens are used for demonstration and classes. Volunteers help tend the beds and harvest the produce for donation.
Last year, the community beds at Magnolia Community Garden, Elliotborough Community Garden, and Medway Community Garden generated 2,039 pounds of produce for donation to local food pantries, such as Lowcountry Food Bank, One80 Place and James Island Outreach.
The Magnolia Park and Community Garden is the Charleston Parks Conservancy’s newest and largest community garden to date. The park is located in West Ashley near Avondale at the corner of Magnolia Road and Sycamore Avenue. Magnolia Park and Community Garden opened in April 2014.
With 40 garden plots leased to gardeners from the surrounding neighborhoods, the garden has been a hub of activity. But the planting did not stop with the initial 40 plots. The Charleston community showed such a great interest in gardening with others that the Conservancy built 10 more raised beds in May 2014. The garden now has 60 individually leased 4-foot by 8-foot beds and Conservancy staff, volunteers, and community members manage 11 larger community garden beds, with room to add more of both in the future.
Vegetables harvested from these community beds will be donated to local food pantries, used in teaching a variety of gardening classes, and offered to those who donate their time in the garden. This garden is a hub of horticultural idea exchanges. Classes for garden participants and the general public are offered seasonally and create a community of green thumbs.
Volunteers are invited to join the Conservancy every Tuesday and Friday at 9:30 a.m. in Magnolia Park and Community Garden in West Ashley for Gathering in the Garden. Volunteers are needed to help maintain the community beds by watering, weeding, planting, composting, and harvesting.
For more information visit the Charleston Parks Conservancy’s website at www.charlestonparksconservancy.org.