LAND O' LAKES, Fla. — It's one of the hidden gems in Land O' Lakes, the Heritage Park Community Garden.
Every participant gets a plot to call their own and is able to grow their own food.
It's so popular there's a waitlist to take part but they also have a community plot for public use. The community plot runs on a "give one, take one" type of mentality.
Pasco County's Chris Carreiro says this garden is an important asset to the community.
"Every box is full. A lot of the gardeners, some of them are seasoned gardeners and are growing stuff like crazy. Some of them are new participants, which need a little bit of nudging and a little bit of education. We always provide education," Carreiro said. "So if there's anybody that comes to me and says, hey, I've got this growing on my plant, I don't know what it is, we'll figure it out. And we'll identify the disease or the insect and tell them how to prevent it."
The garden is full of things like collard greens, cucumbers, melons. It all just depends on what season it is.
"It's very important because they're getting out of their homes. They're getting active, some of the participants in here are retired. So, it does provide an activity for them to get out of their homes. And I think overall, the most the two most important things are mental health. And when you grow something and are able to harvest it, that's a win. That's a major win. So from seed to heart to tomato is pretty cool," explains Carreiro.
You can find out more about the garden or get on the waitlist byclicking here.
