Farmington Community Garden Membership Keeps Growing

Vera and Chris Lucksted are helping their community grow with help of a few green thumbs. This spring, they will host the third season for the Chesley Street community garden, located at Chesley and Farmington Road.

The Lucksteds founded Grow Farmington, a not-for-profit organization, as a way to help people have their own gardens.

“We opened the Chesley Street community garden in 2009," Vera Lucksted said. "We started out with 15 gardeners the first year. We went to 18 gardeners and 22 plots last year. We’ll have to wait to see what this year brings.”

The group met Thursday evening to discuss ideas and to sign gardeners up for available space.

“I loved it. It was a good experience for me,” said Sue Littles, a returning gardener. “I actually gardened with my mother. She died about five years ago, so this was kind of a tribute to her also. I have a 13-year-old son, and he would often come and help come tend to the garden. It was a good family project for us.”

Hugh McDiarmid, who is returning for his third year, said “there is some community spirit” to the garden. He is looking forward to the new growing year.

“What attracted me to it in the first place was it’s close by,” McDiarmid said. “It was taking a piece of land that wasn’t being used for anything, and turning it into something that not only makes it productive for growing food for people, but kind of brings some of the community members together. I’m glad that Vera started it and the city has been supportive of it.”

Grow Farmington does more than organizing the community garden, Vera Lucksted said.

“Two years ago, we did a large scale garden clean up for an elderly woman who runs a bed and breakfast as one of our community projects," she said. “Last year, we put in a garden for someone who was having health problems. We planted fresh vegetables, fresh flowers and herbs, and then maintained it for them off and on during the summer. Right now I’m working with in Farmington Hills, to get them green school status.”

While the plots are for residents to grow their own produce, a community food pantry has benefitted from the garden too.

“Last year, the tomatoes were really good,” Vera Lucksted said. “I was able to donate five pounds of tomatoes to food pantry in Farmington Hills and hopefully we’ll have another good summer so we can do that again.”

There’s talk this year about a group doing a plot specifically to donate to a food pantry, she said.

The garden also has a special “Herb Mountain,” which is separate from the individual plots. Anyone can plant or take from that herb garden. There’s oregano, basil, sage, mint and rosemary, just to name a few.

“We plant four or five plants (from seed), and whoever wants it can take it," Vera Lucksted said.

She encourages anyone to join. “Gardening is a lot of fun. You should try it.”

For more information on Grow Farmington and the Chesley Street Community Garden, you can email Vera Lucksted at info@growfarmington.org. Grow Farmington also has a Facebook page. Open registration begins March 1. The group's next meeting is April 1.