Participants in the Grand Gardens community garden gather to celebrate the garden’s enormous sunflowers growing next to the gardens’ sweet potato patch.

Now in its third summer, Grand Gardens has over 1,000 square feet of sweet potatoes under cultivation in its community beds.  Individual members are growing okra, bell peppers, egg plant, beans, pigeon peas, and various herbs.  There are still some tomatoes coming in. The sunflowers are a variety called “Mongolian Giants.”

Grand Gardens is located at 5721 Grand Boulevard in New Port Richey, at the corner of Grand Boulevard and Georgia Ave.  Plots are available for a modest annual fee.  Tours and visits are offered to the public by appointment. Instruction on seasonal Florida crops is offered by experienced growers to all who are interested.

Later in the year, Grand Gardens and its membership will join with others in the New Port Richey FarmNet to share abundance from the area’s urban farms. Mark your calendars for the first annual Okra Occasion (early August) and the third annual Sweet Potato Roundup (late September).

Grand Gardens is part of New Port Richey FarmNet, a community of individuals, businesses, and civic organizations committed to building and restoring sustainable and resilient natural, economic, and cultural systems. It includes gardeners, farmers, merchants, markets, and a wide variety of individuals committed to healthy living and sustainable food production.

Pictured above are Roy Kaplan, Patty Jackson, Andrew Fox, Amelia Maseda, Tina Reed, Jorge Quintana, Barbara Klepper, and Bob Noriega.

New Port Richey FarmNet is committed to urban agrarianism, including the development of sustainable local food production and distribution systems, support of locally owned and operated businesses, resilient economic structures, community education on the principles and practices of urban agrarianism and cultural resiliency, and the development of authentic communities. Participation is open to everyone.

Grand Gardens is an urban farming project that includes individual gardening plots available to anyone for a modest donation and a commitment to assist with the project while learning how to grow vegetables in Florida. For information call (727) 269-1786.