How to start a community garden

Take one big dreamer (me), one resourceful landscaping designer (Emmanuel), and an amazingly motivated group of Home Depot department managers, and voila! you've got yourself a cool "repurposed" garden for friends and neighbors to share and enjoy.

Despite warnings from my Dad (who was only trying to keep me from burning out) I dove head-first into this project, not knowing how or why or what would happen. Then my uber-networking pal Ashley, set me up with Emmanuel from Green Cherry. In him I found a kindred spirit. He is an optimist, a creative powerhouse, a generous, sweet artist.

Emmanuel's idea to use recycled tires as planters was the inspiration for our "chic junk" look. They work perfectly with the cactus and succulent section of the garden (my personal favorite).

It would have been impossible, of course, for the two of us to do this alone. Knowing that Home Depot stores take on community projects throughout the year, I wrote a letter to the store manager Lynette Trowbridge. Almost instantly she turned me over to John Bonetti in the garden department to go over the plans. There was never a moment of "No, we can't do that, you can't have that". I was blown away by their generosity and professionalism.

So on Tuesday, May 6, the crew arrived and started diggin! In one day, Team Depot removed the weeds, layed down landscape fabric and fresh gravel (over 6 tons!), painted a 120 foot long fence, arranged and prepared all the pots for the happy plants that were also all donated by Home Depot.

The garden was planted by community volunteers on May 10, and revealed to the public on Thursday May 15. No one could imagine the pile of dirt and weeds that used to be in front of the Nest. What we have now is a calm, clever, imaginative garden with unusual plants as well as a ton of veggies and herbs that Nest visitors are welcome to harvest for themselves. (extra produce will be donated to the Napa Food Bank).

So thank you Emmanuel and Team Depot and volunteers Katelyn, Sheri, and Nancy for dreaming along with me. I hope you come and enjoy the "fruits of your labor" often.