Hillyard Garden Thrives

Natasha Konovalov’s daughters never liked tomatoes until they had the chance to grow some themselves.

“Now they always want to have them in their lunch,” Konovalov said.

Though they live in an apartment complex on Cook Street, the Konovalovs can plant and harvest their own produce thanks to the Hillyard Pioneer Community Garden.

The garden was created last year. Community Development funds purchased 1-1/2 lots next to the Northeast Community Center and built 40 independent living quarters for the elderly and disabled. When they finished, half a lot was left over.

“We said, ‘We can do something with this land,”’ said Joyce Jones, chairman of the Hillyard Steering Committee. The committee decided to turn it into a community garden.

Now the land bursts with head-sized cabbages, bok choy, pepper plants, tomatoes, raspberries, string beans, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, onions, squash, dill, snapdragons, marigolds and 8-foot sunflowers.

Last year, the garden produced 6,000 pounds of food for the Northeast Community Center’s food pantry. This year, it’s been turned over to individuals who don’t have enough space where they live to plant their own garden.

For the Konovalovs, the garden has exceeded expectations.

“We spent $12 for seeds and everything, but now we save about $100,” Konovalov said. “And everything is so nice, fresh and juicy. It tastes different from the ones in the store.”

As garden coordinator, Jones distributed plots according to family size. Single men and women received one plot; families got up to three plots to plant. Extra garden space grows food for the food bank.

Community involvement guaranteed the garden’s success. The city donated compost, the Northeast Community Center footed the water bill for a year and people from all over town donate time to weeding and cleaning the garden.

When Jones was worrying over how to get the garden growing, volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contacted her, looking for a community project that needed help. Jones put them to work digging holes for fence posts, constructing a gazebo, building raised concrete beds, and helping lay loam and compost over the lot’s rocky soil.

“We are really thankful to everyone who has helped us,” Jones said. “They’ve made things so easy.”

The spirit of cooperation that built the garden continues to help it thrive. All the gardeners help each other, sharing everything from onions to advice about how to combat bugs.

“I never planted anything before,” Konovalov said. “Now I have tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and cabbage. It’s so nice. Everything’s growing up.”

GARDEN INFORMATION For more information about the Hillyard Community Garden, or to reserve a plot for next year, contact Joyce Jones at 489-0708.