Our first post

Harvest of Hope Community Garden is itself a miracle of growth. I'm not sure when exactly the "seed" of an idea to start a community garden in Kingsport came to rest on fertile ground, but what matters is that it did find good soil.

Our garden was founded in the spring of 2011 -- this year! -- as a collaboration between individuals and groups in our community, most prominently the United Way of Greater Kingsport, AARP, First Presbyterian Church and Tennessee Master Gardeners.


The idea for the garden came as an answer to a need. Local statistics in Kingsport show a recent marked increase in participation in local food assistance programs, in students' reduced-fee lunch programs and in the number of homeless in the region. The Harvest of Hope Community Garden grew out of the United Way's Food Security Initiative Task Force, as a means to help end hunger in our community. From that idea has sprouted a garden that will benefit not only the hungry but anyone who wants to grow with us.

The current garden is made up of three 10' x 20' raised beds and 20 4' x 8' raised beds. Plans are to expand the garden with an additional 10 beds by the end of June. The land for the garden was donated by First Presbyterian Church of Kingsport. The City of Kingsport provides the water.

Master gardeners are helping Harvest of Hope gardeners plant and tend their crops. The hope for our garden is that it be the first of many such gardens in Kingsport, and that it be a place where members of our community can come together to learn, share and grow together.

I'll be posting more pictures from our planting day and open house later in the week. In the meantime, if you'd like to volunteer or contribute to the garden effort or apply for a bed for yourself, please comment here or contact Jill Salyers at 423-378-3409 ext. 16 or jsalyers@uwaykpt.org. The garden is located at 130 Charlemont Street in Kingsport if you'd like to drive by and see it.