The community garden at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market held its official grand opening Saturday, May 24, 2025.
Dr. Wykia Macon, director of the Vance County Cooperative Extension, was on hand and hands on!
She spoke recently at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market and said agriculture is “undeniably central to our lives,” when addressing 100 attendees of the ‘State of Agriculture’ luncheon hosted by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce.
Horticulture and Field Crops agent Michael Ellington was on hand and at work as well, and it’s apparent months of preparation is starting to pay off.
The community garden a place where gardeners of all skill levels are welcome to learn and share their own knowledge about growing fruits and vegetables.
Garden beds are available to rent for the growing season – each 4 foot by 8 foot bed is $40 for the whole season.
Community gardens provide lots of benefits, Ellington said recently on his weekly Tuesday segment on WIZS. Fresh, healthy food is just the beginning.
Access to affordable, nutritious food can be limited, especially in underserved neighborhoods and communities, he said. Garden plots like the ones at the farmers market offer local hands-on solutions that can reduce food inequality and increase availability.
And it just makes sense that folks who grow their own fruits and vegetables are likely to eat more of each. Community gardens give people power over what they eat, he said.
Community gardens can bring diverse groups together, and soon, new friends are swapping recipes and stories while they pull weeds and keep their plots watered.
These places “reveal that social fabric that holds communities together,” Ellington said.
Macon added that cooperative extension programs support agriculture in all its forms – from livestock and horticulture to youth programs like 4-H.
The community garden is also a place where children can learn first-hand about where their food comes from – literally – not from a video screen or a textbook.
“They learn by planting seeds, watching them sprout and harvesting what they’ve nurtured,” Ellington said.
Planting a garden can reduce grocery bills and can reduce the amount of food waste that ends up in the landfill.
Community gardens also send a clear message to prospective businesses that residents care about where they live.
If you’d like more information about the community garden, visit the cooperative extension website at https://vance.ces.ncsu.edu, call 252.438.8188 or email Ellington at maellington@ncsu.edu.
There are many ways to help, from volunteering to sponsoring to making a direct donation.
And if you don’t have a green thumb, don’t fret. Just spread the word about the community garden to friends and neighbors.
