Soon to be grown in the heart of Piedmont will be fresh vegetables.
It is just a small lot on the west side of the Old Store, 100 Monroe Ave., about 25 feet wide with building walls on the east and west sides to shield the garden from the strong Oklahoma winds. The small lot owned by the Old Store is about a block long from north to south in Piedmont’s downtown along Monroe Avenue.
On Saturday, April 6, those who had the idea for the garden met to start turning the soil.
The garden is a collaborative effort of the Piedmont Public Library, Harvest Hub and the Old Store. Joyce Leach, Old Store owner, Thania Mayfield of Harvest Hub and Olivia Blackketter, librarian, called together a volunteer day to start the work on the garden. City Councilman Ron Cardwell of Ward 2 arrived with the tractor. Other donated materials, including small aluminum water tanks will be used to plant the vegetables in.
Tony Witte was one of the volunteers. He worked with a shovel near the pile of mulch used to start the garden.
Mila Blackketter, 13, worked alongside Mallory Cargill, 12, carried orange buckets and wore gloves as the skies were clear for the outdoor Saturday morning work.
The vegetables will start out in raised beds, Mayfield said. Mayfield created Harvest Hub of Piedmont, a manufacturing kitchen for the Fancy Feathered Farm elderberry items and specialty market. Volunteers will get to reap the harvest when ready and a food source is hopefully going to be available for donations to the local Piedmont Service Center, Mayfield said.
The official name for the garden will be The Piedmont Community Garden.
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