March 2017 Park of the Month: Magnolia Community Garden
Magnolia Community Garden in West Ashley is a place for gardeners to learn techniques for growing their own fruits and vegetables and moving their harvest from park to table. This garden has 60 individually leased garden plots and 14 community beds as well as a small greenhouse.
Community members can apply for private garden plots or they can earn their wings and become Park Angels by volunteering at Gathering in the Garden. Volunteering in the community gardens is a great way to learn skills and techniques for growing fresh, organic food for a full “park to plate” experience. Through Gathering in the Garden, volunteers also help with the public plots by planting and harvesting the fresh produce. The Conservancy then donates these garden-grown fruits and veggies to local food pantries, including One80 Place, Lowcountry Food Bank and James Island Outreach.
So far this year the gardens at Magnolia have supplied 468 pounds of fresh produce for donation. Just this past month, Gathering in the Garden volunteers have harvested nearly 80 pounds of beets, kale, kalettes, collards, radishes, carrots, and lettuce for James Island Outreach. In 2016, the Conservancy donated a total of 2,336 pounds of produce grown from our 3 community gardens (Medway, Magnolia, and Elliotborough) to help feed hungry families.
Magnolia Community Garden is now home to the Parks Conservancy’s office, located at 720 Magnolia Rd., Suite 25, Charleston, SC 29407.
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Visit our website for more information about Magnolia Community Garden, or read this article written about the garden by West Of – West Ashley’s Newspaper.