Life in Big Canoe, Real Estate in the Mountains

Entrance to Cove Creek and Jasper Community Garden

• Update 08/07/09 – June and Craig McKenzie sent out an email regarding planting fall crops …”If any of you are interested in having an extra plot to get your fall garden going, let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. It’s time to get fall seed started. If you want to wait a little longer, you can purchase cabbage,broccoli, Brussel sprouts etc. plants locally, late this month / early September. However direct sown seed, turnip, rutabago, carrot, beet and parsnips should go into the ground this month, as per seed packet. Remember to keep seedlings moist.“

Living in Big Canoe is very good for my soul but not so good for my tomatoes! Living in the Disharoon Valley I have plenty of sun in winter and into Spring but my sky turns into a green canopy in Summer making it close to impossible to grow fresh veggies.  We’ve always wanted a small vegetable garden but didn’t want to sacrifice our summer shade. Then one day last week we stumbled across a community garden in Jasper that was the answer to all our fresh produce prayers.

Along the stretch of Cove Road by Cove Creek (aka Long Swamp Creek), on the opposite side of the  marble mine, you can look down and see the new Jasper Community Garden. What used to be a field of kudzu is now a cleared lot ready for planting. There are currently about 20 plots and many are still available. For a fee of $20 you can lease a full sun plot for a year.  The garden plots are approximately 10 x 15.   Mulch, manure, and electric fence (to keep the local wildlife out) are currently on site as well as a wheelbarrow and pitchfork.   Even more important, the $20 a year includes water.  The source of the water is the long ago abandoned marble mines which are now completely filled from rain water and ground water seepage.   Access to the garden is protected by a locked gate, and all gardeners receive a key upon sign-up. 

Community Garden

Along with the satisfaction of growing my own produce, I enjoy the company and advice of fellow gardeners.   Looking over the expanse of the garden, you can  see that the plots are all joined together by mulched paths.  The idea was to make it a true community garden – where the gardeners could stop and visit with their neighbors. Many of the plots are leased to master gardeners who all agree that this will be a fun and educational experiment for all of us. Craig McKenzie and his wife June were able to get land from the City of Jasper to start the garden and now even Mayor John Weaver has a plot.

Family Garden

So far we’ve cleared our plot of rocks and mixed in the requisite manure, moss, and mulch to provide a better quality soil.  Our planted crops so far are tomatoes, various varieties of peppers, cilantro, basil, oregano,  lettuce, cucumbers, parsley and squash. It’s been a real family project with our children helping to fill the wheelbarrow and spread mulch on the garden. There are tons of marble rocks around the field and near the creek, and we are slowly gathering the rocks for use as our border.  Thanks again to Craig and June McKenzie and the other folks that got this project moving.  We’re really excited that our garden is moving along, and we’re looking forward to some delicious, fresh produce in a month or two!

You’ll need to contact Craig or June for updated info, but you can view the PDFs for both the lease and the Extension Service Soil Test Report below:

• Jasper Community Garden Information
• ( Get Adobe Acrobat Reader for PDFs here! )
• For more information on the community garden, contact Craig or June at: covecreekgarden@yahoo.com.
•   Jasper Soil Test Report for Jasper Community Garden (pdf)
•   Jasper Comunity Garden Lease (pdf)