It will soon be warm enough to be outside putting in a summer garden. I can just taste a good homegrown tomato right now. But, if your yard is anything like mine, you are looking at it in despair wondering where you can plant any sun-loving vegetables unless it is by your mailbox (remember Ike Williams' luscious tomatoes?). Berkeley Lake's volume of trees is a wonderful thing, don't get me wrong, but for those of us who try to eke out a small sunny space to garden within an overwhelming amount of shade, it is a frustrating experience. I am sure it is equally frustrating for those you who do not have an option to grow vegetables on your own property. There may soon be an alternative.

At long last we have an opportunity to start a small community garden. The proposed site will be in the northeast corner of the beach property on a plot of approximately 600 square feet. The garden would be open to all interested BLHA Members. There would be a number of particulars to be worked out besides size. The intent would be for this garden to be organic in nature, following the guidelines set by a nationally recognized organic standards agency. Interested gardeners who agree to these standards would pay a small annual fee to garden in a small plot. There again this, too, could be dependent on a number of options. We would like to keep it simple to start with. In the future, we could possibly get involved with a community food bank, plant a row for the hungry, or even market our produce to the citizens of Berkeley Lake. What we need now is your feedback to determine how this garden is to move forward.

I hope you will join me in seeing this as an opportunity to produce healthy, organic, locally grown food in a sustainable manner that not only benefits our families but our community and our environment. Community gardening promotes social interaction and education as other added benefits. There are many, many successful community gardens all over the metro Atlanta area, but there are very few in Gwinnett County. We could be among the first. Let us know what you think! Feel free to email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 770.446.0754.