Garden hopes to plant seeds of change in neighborhood

Randy Carver decided to give back to his community.
And with hard work and determination, the fruits of his labor are beginning to become visible.
"I wanted to get active in the (community) again," Carver said at Monday night's Project Safe Neighborhood meeting. "I will do anything I can."
Carver is among many who have donated their time to a community garden on McBrayer Street. As sprinklers sprayed sprouts of the garden, members of PSN met to discuss troubled crime spots in the area, along with the garden progression.
"When I'm out here walking around, people seem curious," said Linda Ferguson, who oversees the project.
The Seeds of Hope community garden began three years ago but had problems getting off the ground due to droughts. But recent rains have caused interest and activity again on the five acre piece of land.
Tomatoes, beans, peas, squash and zucchini are some of the vegetable that have been planted so far, Ferguson said. A melon patch is in the works as well.
"We are further along than the last couple of years," she said.
With the main garden in the middle, eight other plots surround the area as well as a children's garden.
"We want the (community) to benefit and get fresh vegetables," she said.
Both Ferguson and Carver have had a lot of people walk by from the area to let them know they are doing a good job. They have even asked how the garden is doing.
"It makes me feel wonderful," Carver said.
But what they really need and want lies within the community they are trying to bring together.
Ferguson said they need volunteers to water, till soil and even carry dirt to the road.
"There is a lot of more work to do," she said.
For Ferguson, the garden is a benefit both for the community and herself.
"There is something about putting a seed in the ground, nurturing it and seeing life develop from it," she said.

Want to help?
There are a few items that they could use and would welcome anything people in the community could donate.
-plants, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers
-old garden tools
-benches or picnic tables
-sprinkler