Beall's Hill Community Garden at Centenary

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In the fall of 2008 Macon Roots, an organization which promotes community gardening in Macon, started a conversation between the Beall's Hill Neighborhood Association and Centenary Church about creating a neighborhood garden. The establishment of a community garden within Beall's Hill was an unspoken yet longstanding dream of both the Neighborhood Association and Centenary.

Beall’s Hill is a unique neighborhood in Macon, Georgia. It’s a neighborhood in transition from a blighted past to a fully revitalized future. It’s a neighborhood with a diverse population in terms of race and socioeconomic status, and it’s also a neighborhood with a full slate of challenges and triumphs. The creation of a community garden is yet one more step in realizing the potential that exists in this neighborhood.

What began as a conversation about community gardening soon evolved into a garden plan. In February 2009 a planning committee was established, and a site for the garden was chosen. In the following month, the Community Foundation of Central Georgia and the Knight Foundation generously provided start-up funds. With the help of volunteers from the neighborhood, Centenary, and Macon Roots, we broke ground on the garden on May 2, 2009.

The garden is located in the green space behind Centenary Church on Ash Street. With twelve raised beds, the garden is communal; this means that there aren't individual plots and the harvest is shared. Those individuals whom volunteer their time and energy reap the benefits: fresh vegetables and sense of purposeful community.

If you have questions about the garden or would like to volunteer, please contact any of the blog contributors below.

Our Partners

Beall's Hill Neighborhood Association
Formed in 2006, the Beall’s Hill Neighborhood Association (BHNA) actively advocates for neighborhood improvements and safety. The BHNA isn’t solely about safety, however, its other mission is to integrate long-standing residents with new homeowners and renters. To accomplish this mission, the BHNA holds social events where neighbors can meet and form relationships.

Centenary Church
Located on the corner of Ash and College Street and across from the campus of Mercer University, Centenary Church seeks to build community both inside and outside of the church. Centenary, as a part of the neighborhood, is happy to be a partner in the community garden.

Macon Roots
Founded by Mark Vanderhoek, Macon Roots is an organization which seeks to promote community gardening in Macon, Georgia.

Volunteer Meeting

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Please join us at 7pm on July 1st at Centenary's Community Building. An experienced gardner will be there to answer our gardening questions and instruct us on harvesting vegetables, weeding our beds, and pruning tomatoes.

Photos from Mary Anne

These were taken last week. The first image is of okra. The second shows our discovery of a cucumber, and the third shows the actual cucumber. If you remember, take your camera to the garden and send us your best shots. We will then post them to the site.

Our First Meal from the Garden

Monday, June 29, 2009

Last Thursday we ate our first produce from the garden--a white eggplant and a banana pepper. I could still feel the warmth from the garden in the vegetables as I prepared them in my kitchen for dinner. They were delicious; and it was so exciting to enjoy the fruit of our labor! I am amazed every day now at how much the garden is growing and at the neighborhood and volunteer participation.

Thanks to Ellen and Craig for securing the hay for mulch and to Ellen, Shaquan, and Larry for spreading it. The mulch should help a lot with water retention.

I was glad to read tonight that Ellen cleared up some of the factual inaccuracies in the Telegraph article, though we were grateful for the article and the pictures.

Eggplant, Cucumbers, Okra and more

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Our garden is flourishing. Vegetables are growing at what seems to be incredible speed. I frequent the garden several times a week, and I'm continually astounded by our bounty. Today Mary Anne Richardson, Jane Jordan and I picked eggplant, cucumber and basil. There are more cucumbers ripening on the vine and our okra plants, the ones that seemed sickly only weeks ago, are growing! The tomatoes will ripen next.

We have had a great turn out by volunteers from the neighborhood and Centenary. As vegetables ripen, volunteers should feel free to pick them and take them home. If a large number of vegetables are available for picking, please contact me, Ellen (embyron@gmail.com), or Mary Anne (maryanne.richardson@gmail.com) and we will let our volunteer pool know.

If you have questions about volunteer duties or would like to sign up, please email me as well. Mary Anne took pictures this morning, and she will post those later. Stay tuned.

Garden in the news

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Last week a photographer from the Macon Telegraph visited the garden. A slideshow of his visit is here.

Yesterday an article about the garden was published, see here. There are a few inaccuracies about the story. For one, our primary purpose isn't to distribute food to needy people, but rather to use the garden as a mechanism to engage all neighbors in our community. That said, we are certain we will have an abundance of vegetables, and we will distribute these to needier members of our community as the become available. Second, Ellen Byron is not the president of the neighborhood association (although Craig Byron, the actual president, would probably be happy to relinquish his duties). Regardless of those details, it's good to see the garden in the news.

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Our Partners