One of the projects I’ve become involved with this spring is a new community garden, the Master Peace Community Garden. The garden is a project of the Engaged University garden program at the University of Maryland, and is located at the Center for Educational Partnership in Riverdale Heights. A large part of the space is devoted to a youth garden, with kids from William Wirt Middle School participating in growing and tending the vegetables.

When the project began this spring, the garden space was just lawn, a stretch of grass outside the former elementary school that is now the community center. In March, I and other volunteers worked to clear the grass, lay the plots, put up the fence, and undertake the initial plantings.

Breaking ground in March:

Since March, we community members have received and planted our individual plots and contributed to establishing the youth garden. This week was the first harvest for the youth garden, of produce they’ll be selling at the Riverdale Park Farmers’ Market. The garden looks much different now, green in every direction. The first harvest — of kales, collards, chards, tat soi, and lettuces — hardly made a dent in what’s growing there!

The garden now:

Rows of greens to be harvested:

Chard:

The first harvest:

Our own individual plot is bursting forth with herbs, and I hope to start seeing pepper blooms in a few weeks.