“If you were here -- and I’m here, making compost -- and they want to raid your stuff, I'd say, ‘That's not yours; take off,’” Richardson said.
Richardson doesn't consider himself an expert, but he loves to share his passion for gardening.
“What else has she got here: oh, I gave her a bunch of onions, see -- it's popping,” Richardson said, looking over a fellow gardener’s plot. “I gave her leeks, but they haven’t come up; they're pretty large onions, though.”
Richardson calls this work exercise, because while he is keeping an eye on the plots he takes care of weeds and helps other gardeners.
“I've only got this little bit left to clear in this field, and then I don’t know what I’m going to do for exercise -- I love to garden,” Richardson said.
Richardson shares a green thumb with many other Anchorage residents. The C Street location is one of three managed by Parks and Recreation, where those who don't have land can rent plots. On a beautiful Saturday, the nearby Fairview Lions Community Gardens are also full of greenery.
“It's very popular -- we hope to bring some more spots online, once we ID them and look through different neighborhood parks projects,” said Parks and Recreation’s superintendent, Chris Conlon. “That may include a neighborhood community garden.”
Parks and Rec is also looking to create larger community gardens as more reap the rewards of this growing trend.
“You get to come and weed and plant, and get to see what started as a little seed and into something that you can eat,” said Clifford Seslar, who lives near the McPhee Community Gardens.
Parks and Recreation rents out the plots from March through April each year.
Contact Christine Kim at ckim@ktuu.com
