Helpful Articles

WE ARE WORKING ON NEW ARTICLES. And we are working on our own container gardens. Pictures coming.

Growing Your Own Food

Upset about prices at your grocery store? Here is something you can do for yourself and your family. Now is the perfect time to have a vegetable garden. Our frost date is May 15th or so- plant it now.

Before you stop reading because you don’t garden- this spring prices are rising, transportation costs to deliver food are rising, farmers are struggling to find workers to harvest crops IF they have water to grow them. Then fertilizer shortages loom.

Plant in big pots, plant in five gallon buckets( with drainage holes drilled in bottom) plant along your fences. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, corn, pole or bush beans grow easily in full sun. Plant leaf lettuce in more shady spots. All these vegetables need is good dirt, sun light, water. You can fertilize, mulch, tie up the vines or have them climb up simple trellises. Start by seed, or get small plants at Farmers Market, or local stores. Our ancestors did this and we certainly can too.

Pinterest, YouTube, ticktock have many tutorials to ease your hesitations. Eat your fresh food, can it, freeze it. Get some dirt under your fingernails, great therapy in these trying times. Enjoy nature on your porch, deck, and yard. You CAN do it, and actually you SHOULD do it. Do you really think prices are going to be going down THIS summer?

Remember--playing in the dirt can be therapuetic and grounding (MONICA)

🌱 HAYWOOD PULSE: COMMUNITY ROOTS EDITION 🌱

Growing Food. Growing Community. Growing Awareness.

Across Waynesville and greater Haywood County, something steady and hopeful is taking root—community gardens. Not flashy. Not loud. But deeply impactful.

These spaces are doing more than growing tomatoes. They’re feeding families, teaching skills, and quietly strengthening the fabric of our communities.

🌿 WHAT’S GROWING IN HAYWOOD?

Haywood County doesn’t have one central, highly visible community garden system—yet. Instead, we have a patchwork of grassroots efforts, each contributing in its own way:

Hope Grows Community Garden (Waynesville)
A rising hub focused on food access, volunteerism, and giving back. Built with intention and momentum.
Daydreamz Community Garden (Waynesville)
A smaller, community-centered space promoting healthy living and fresh food access.
Canton Community Garden (Canton)
Rooted in connection and environmental awareness, serving the Canton community.
Pigeon River Community Orchard & Gardens (Canton)
A public-facing space blending fruit trees, garden beds, and education—where the harvest is meant to be shared.
Maggie Valley Community Garden
Supporting local food efforts, including programs that help feed neighbors in need.

Beyond these are quiet contributors—church gardens, school plots, and “giving gardens”—often unlisted, but essential.

🌻 WHY IT MATTERS

In a rural county like ours, community gardens are more than a hobby:

Food Access: Fresh produce for families who need it most
Health: Physical activity, mental clarity, time outdoors
Education: Teaching sustainable practices and self-reliance
Connection: Bridging divides—age, background, politics—through shared work

This is local resilience in action.

🌼 THE GAP (AND THE OPPORTUNITY)

Right now, these efforts are scattered. Passion exists. Land exists. People exist.

What’s missing is coordination.

Imagine:

A central, well-supported garden in Waynesville
A network connecting all existing gardens
Clear ways for residents to plug in, volunteer, or grow their own foodThis isn’t a far-off idea. It’s one organizing meeting away. (SUZ)