Coosa Extension community garden revitalized
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Team Depot, including members of the Home Depot in Alexander City, worked hard to help bring the community garden back to life. Pictured in the foreground are Extension SNAP-Ed Agent Tabatha Glassburn and Coosa Extension Coordinator Dr. Shannon Davis. Photo submitted
General photo credit for most photos: Photos by Dr. Shannon Davis
Special to the News
Submitted by Dr. Shannon Davis, Extension coordinator
The Coosa County Extension 4-H Community Garden in the Hanover community has been revitalized and will soon be ready for public use once again, thanks to a community effort with a clean-up day being held October 25.
The community garden next to the 4-H clubhouse is situated in front of the Coosa County High School and Elementary School on County Road 75.
Originally, it was started through a 4-H and Extension office collaboration with the project managed by then Extension specialists, Sharon Haynes, Extension regional director, and Shane Harris, coordinator for the Tallapoosa Extension.
With grant funding the project ultimately provided a community space where visitors could sample the various fruit trees, blueberries and muscadine vines growing in the garden. It was regularly enjoyed by many visitors.
However, in time the orchard weathered and became overgrown with weeds and debris trees. The debris made it unsafe to walk the grounds, which left many of the fresh fruits and the space to go to waste.
Shannon Davis, the present coordinator for the Coosa Extension is pleased to announce that the community edible garden has been revitalized.
The 2024 revitalization project was made possible through a generous grant from the Alexander City Home Depot. The Home Depot volunteer team was overseen by Pat Bull and Barry Boddie.
This garden revitalization project was also directly supported by Brad Dunham with the Coosa County Forestry Department and Tad Eason with the Coosa County Highway Department.
Davis is appreciative of the organizations and people that came together to bring the edible garden back to life. She commended the seamless, professional project operations of the Home Depot team from start to finish.
Davis said, “The garden will soon be open to the public during daylight hours, as well as to 4-H members, homeschool communities, student classes, and science research groups. It is also a great space for organizations and businesses to host events and/or meetings.”
“The ongoing goal is to expand the garden to include a variety of seasonal fruits, vegetables, herbs, and honey, cooking grills and picnic spaces so that visitors can enjoy the garden year-round,” she added. “It is a wonderful asset to the county that can be enjoyed by all ages, we hope for many years to come.”
The Coosa Extension office is an organization under Auburn University that directly serves the residents and towns within Coosa County. If you would like to know more about Extension programming or if you have a community need, please contact Davis at 256-377-4713.
The Extension hosts a wide team of horticulture, health and wellness, nutritional, financial, agriculture,
teaching, and 4-H experts that are happy to assist you.
