SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Something special is happening in the Savannah Gardens neighborhood Friday afternoon. A new community garden is about to spring to life.
Forsyth Farmers' Market is inviting the community to celebrate the opening of the new green space. With a ribbon cutting, some fall planting and a few fun activities for all ages, it's shaping up to be a memorable day.
However, this is more than just a ceremony, it's the beginning of a project to provide fresh, locally grown food right to the neighborhood.
Local businesses pitched in to make this garden possible, and as part of the event, they'll be planting crops such as lettuce, squash and collard greens. The garden will soon become a resource for residents in the nearly 500-unit housing complex.
"A goal is to successfully be able to feed about 25 to 30 families from this garden. And this is on a consistent basis. Now, how many families will be able to just come and pick and harvest herbs, the number is immeasurable. This will always be a place for that," said Aja Embry, director of Community Building for Forsyth Farmers' Market.
The event will take place Friday at 4 p.m. at 500 Wyoming St.
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Organizers estimate the garden is over 100 square feet of gardening space. It will feature Forsyth Farmers' Market's very own Farm Truck, along with making garden decorations.
"We have a (Saturday Forsyth Farmers') market because having local fresh food, and supporting the economy, those things are very important to the wealth of a community," explained Embry. "So having food (this garden) right at your fingertips, being able to access the knowledge, it's going to better the whole community."
One of the ways Forsyth Farmers' Market also helps the community is through their afterschool programs for the Savannah Gardens neighborhood, for example, cooking classes.
The nonprofit also has a program called Harvest to Table, which directly benefits the youth. The organization also offers gardening classes open to anyone in the community.
Organizers for the ribbon-cutting Friday say they hope the event can inspire the community to see what is possible and see how the community works to come together. When asked how many plants can fit to be grown inside the garden, Forsyth Farmers' Market says they will know that number after today's planting during the event.
We’ll be sure to keep an eye on how this new garden flourishes in the seasons to come.