Participants dig area's first community garden

With four-by-four redwood posts and a cement machine grumbling steadily in the background, the start of Marysville's first community garden project got under way Saturday at the corner of Second and C streets.

Volunteers began digging holes and setting posts for the vegetable garden's fence after the groundbreaking ceremony for the project's first phase, which also includes irrigation, plot borders, and American Disability Act plots and pathways. The goal was to finish installing the eastern and northern fence posts Saturday and continue with the reminder today.

"It's going to be beautiful," said Marysville City Council member Ricky Samayoa. "We want to make sure everyone sees it and that this is a great city and say, 'This is a place I'd like to live and play.'"

A crew of about a dozen volunteers dug holes for fence posts, filled wheelbarrows with wet concrete, and balanced levels against the posts to make sure everything was going in straight.

The project is under the direction of the Marysville Area Community Garden Coalition, a grassroots group of volunteers, and does not have any impact on the city's budget.

More than $8,200 in donations were raised to complete the first phase, with an expectation to require $13,000 for the entire project. Additional fundraising efforts include brick sponsorships and accepting donations for seeds, business discount cards and T-shirts.

"We all worked so hard toward this day," said organizer Kathy Sedler. "To see it happen so fast is just phenomenal. ... I can already see it in my head. Today is the very beginning of turning it over to the gardeners for their space."

Future work includes the second phase, a storage shed, compost bins, tables and benches; the third phase would add eight full plots. Marysville residents will "rent" plots for a fee to cover the cost of water to the city, with all produce grown for the gardener's own use and a commitment to help with general garden duties. Gardeners will use organic practices.

Resident Aleta Zak is looking forward to start with a cover crop of perhaps alfalfa and then venture into potatoes, garbanzo beans and greens like spinach and lettuce.

She has been involved with the project from its start and said it was fabulous to finally break ground, which should generate additional interest.

"It's one thing to talk concepts and show photos, but when you can go out and see something, it really helps," she said.

Planning for the project, backed by Marysville City Council members Samayoa and Christina Billeci, began in the middle of January and was approved by the City Council on April 5.

The city's community garden should be implemented within six months, organizers said. Other cities, including Yuba City and Live Oak, have already begun looking at the project for community garden ideas of their own, Samayoa said.

"We are going to become an example," he said. "It's almost going to be like a laboratory here. Kids are going to see it and learn and families are going to come down here to be part of the community."

For more information, or to volunteer, call Kathy Sedler at 218-6252.