My wife Gaye and I both grew up in DeKalb County, but in our first 15 years or so of marriage, we had several homes. In 2005, we came back here to put down roots. That phrase has a long history, and a meaningful one in a number of ways.
In the earliest history of mankind, everyone was a hunter-gatherer, moving across the land with the seasons and the migrations of the food. But when we learned to plant crops that would grow year after year, we were able to stay in one place putting down roots literally and figuratively, and build a community. People learned to work and live together. We built structures that could stand the test of time, eventually building villages and then cities and nations. The ability and desire to plant has always been at the heart of every community.
In these modern times, most of us don’t grow our own food, or at least not all of it, because we don't have to. Most of us grow edible things for the enjoyment of the process (and the delicious dishes that come from it!). And we plant and grow lots of other things for the joy and the beauty they add to our lives – flowers and shrubs and trees and grass in endless varieties. In Tucker, we are blessed to have master gardeners who care for many of our public spaces, an Orchard Guild which cares especially about fruit trees, and volunteers who operate community gardens where those who don’t have the space, or who just want to share the joy, can cultivate a small plot close to friends and neighbors.
Gaye and I recently attended the anniversary party of the Henderson Park Community Garden to celebrate 12 years of growing. It was a day to celebrate the hard work and commitment to the goal of providing space to grow nutritious food with neighbors. The story of their start up and Smoke Rise Community Garden’s are the same as so many other organizations. A group of people saw a need and an opportunity to bring a service to the community, pooled their collective talents and made it happen.
Henderson Park Community Garden was brought to life by a generous land donation to the DeKalb County Parks System. When the neighbors identified it as an opportunity to create a community garden, volunteers created by-laws, prepped the land, and leased the plots. Smoke Rise followed suit just a couple of years later under the umbrella of the Smoke Rise Community Association. Through the years the groups expanded through contributions and grants, adding a greenhouse and electricity at Henderson Park. At Smoke Rise they have housed beehives and built the iconic red barn seen from Hugh Howell Road. We are so grateful for their vision and service to all of us.
Another group which has long provided unheralded service, beauty and joy to Tucker is composed of our six active Garden Clubs. You can read about one of them on page 9 as our Citizen(s) of the Month. For over 50 years, including through the pandemic, they have given of themselves and shared so much with all of us. They would welcome you to join them, as would so many of the other gardeners and growers right here in our community, so let’s get out there and put down some roots – together!
