The Franklin Street Community Garden: A place to plant and a garden of grace
By Robb Helfrick
As the summer concludes, a local community garden reaps the rewards of another successful growing season. Founded in 2019, Waynesboro’s Franklin Street Community Garden encourages residents to get their hands dirty, breathe fresh air, and lighten their mood.
“We’ve connected with the community and are doing something positive for people,” said Garden General Manager Jared Martin. He was one of the garden’s organizers, which Waynesboro’s City Light Christian Fellowship Church sponsors.
Seven years ago, the church noticed a small borough-owned triangular plot on Franklin Street between Main and Second Streets sat idle. They approached the Waynesboro Borough Council and proposed to repurpose the property as a community garden.
The council liked the idea, and the parties agreed to work together. Garden organizers pledged to maintain the property and promised free spaces to community gardeners. “The town has been really easy to work with,” Martin said of the garden’s partnership with the borough.
The garden started with a few boxed plots and has grown each year. The enterprise currently has 34 spaces, and the property is nearly at full capacity. Gardening here is a relaxed arrangement. People can sign up on the garden’s website (franklinstreetgarden.com), then meet on-site in the spring to start planting their personal plot. Although it’s a community garden, individual spaces are autonomous. “We encourage everyone to plant whatever they want,” Martin said. Most gardeners concentrate on vegetables and herbs, while others tend flowers.
Only a few minimal tasks are required to work a space at FSCG. Simply plant by an agreed-upon date, keep the plot maintained, and clean up after the fall harvest in November. Gardeners of every skill level are welcome. “The garden is for everyone, whether you’re an expert or just starting out. We’ve had people from all walks of life,” Jared said.
The garden organizers want to be positive stewards, and “by immersing yourself in this project, you will learn a lot about the soil, plant life, and how to grow your own food.” During a recent afternoon, a woman picked lavender and gathered it in bunches.
Martin helped build the wooden boxes that designate individual gardening spaces. He grew up on a farm, so working in the dirt is in his DNA. Jared even brought planting soil to FSCG from his Smithsburg farm. “For our family, gardening is a way of life.” Jared and his wife, Rosina, have 4 children under 10. The couple has already introduced the gardening lifestyle to their kids.
Franklin Street Community Garden lives up to its name in other respects. The adjacent Waynesboro Water Works Car Wash supplies free water. Several organizations, including the Moose Club, have made donations. City Life Christian Fellowship holds a fundraising breakfast every spring to help finance garden maintenance expenses and improvements. They recently installed a new sign and entry flower beds. FSCG also has on-site gardening tools for its members.
Gardeners come and go at their leisure, since individual schedules vary greatly. Martin says members have embraced FSCG’s communal concept. The organizers strive to treat everyone fairly and give gardeners free rein with their plots. While female gardeners outnumber males, Jared said men are well-represented, as are all age groups.
With plenty of sun and ample summer rain, the garden has flourished this growing season. On a walking tour, Martin pointed out typical backyard veggies, including tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and squash. FSCG Gardeners also grow corn, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and giant cucumbers that dangle from a trellis.
Asked about his personal favorite, Martin said, “You can’t beat fresh green beans with butter.” His family cans multiple vegetables each year and recently picked 1200 ears of sweet corn at their family farm.
Colorful flowers decorated the garden throughout the summer. Bees hover over sunflowers, and the boxed beds sport a variety of floral delights. On any given day, a stroll reveals new blooms and bright hues. Summer showers fostered lush growth, with sunflowers standing above head level.
Besides the practical benefits of fresh-grown veggies and herbs, the garden’s organizers stress other pleasures gardening brings. “Everyone needs real connections in today’s world,” Martin said. “It’s rewarding to plant seeds and watch that whole process and reap the rewards. It’s therapeutic to get outside.”
The organizers believe their garden serves as a community revitalization project, where townspeople can come together and build relationships. On FSCG’s website, they express concern that “folks are often lost in the cyber world, and are prone to drifting away from more holistic connections with nature and the people around us.”
FSCG stresses that these benefits aren’t limited to adults, since outdoor time for children is more precious in today’s society. Modern technology often keeps them indoors, and the gap between kids and nature keeps widening. This disconnect can have adverse physical, psychological, and even emotional effects for children.
Martin credits local government and civic organizations for promoting outdoor programs. “Waynesboro has done a great job with Main Street and hosting the Saturday farmers market.” He said the agreement between the garden and the borough has benefited both parties, and he hopes the relationship will continue on that path.
As autumn approaches and gardeners anticipate a break from working the soil, they are thankful for a bountiful growing season. They will also enjoy the fruits of their labor well into the winter months when cooking with home-grown vegetables or savoring a dish spiced with local herbs.
After the first frost arrives, they will also treasure memories from time spent in the summer sun. When the ground thaws in the spring, they will repeat the process and dig in the dirt again. The poet May Sarton once wrote: “Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.”
