Describing his own backyard in Mount Joy, Jarod Stine noted that most of it is taken up with a garden. Now Stine is helping people in the community who want to have their own gardens. Stine has created a community garden at Florin Church of the Brethren, 815 Bruce Ave., Mount Joy, and at Mount Joy Mennonite Church, 320 Musser Road. Spring planting begins this month, and both locations have availability for people who would like to have a space to grow their own food.

As Stine explained, the idea for the community garden grew out of the Getting Ahead and Staying Ahead classes that he participated in through Friends of Donegal. Both courses not only provide participants with resources to navigate life, but they also encourage community service. After taking the courses in 2021, Stine participated in discussions about starting a community garden, but people in the group weren't sure how to pull off the project. Since he is already an avid gardener, Stine took the reins.

"I hope people will learn to be able to grow their own food, because it's really not that hard, and I think people are afraid of it sometimes," he said. "You know during World War II, they encouraged people to grow backyard gardens, and they estimated like 50% of the food in the U.S. at the time came from backyard gardens."

When people sign up to participate in the garden, they will receive a spot that is 6 by 10 feet in size. Stine will help with prepping the area and much of the weeding. He is also available to answer questions and provide guidance about what to plant. This is the second season for the garden at Florin Church of the Brethren, which included tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce last year, and the first season for the Mount Joy Mennonite Church garden.

There is a yearly charge to reserve a spot in the garden, and the season runs through the end of October. No non-organic fertilizers or pesticides are used on the gardens, and compost is provided.

Stine said if both locations fill up this year, he might consider adding a third community garden location if he can get some volunteers to help him with the project. In the meantime, he encourages anyone who is interested to sign up for a garden plot.

"People can always buy things from the supermarket, but I feel like if you grow your own things, it does taste a lot better," Stine noted. "There's something great about picking it and eating it within a day. It's not just nutritious, but we get a lot of benefits out of growing our own food."

For more information or to reserve a plot, contact Stine at stinej123@gmail.com.