If you have a community garden, raise your hand

So, Mecklenburg County, how does your community garden world grow? With lots of volunteers and gardener workers, which is why the county Fruit & Vegetable Coalition, an offshoot -- or should that be a pea shoot? -- of the Health Department is taking a community garden census.

This is the second year of the census. Last year's gardens were sorted into two  lists, one for gardens where people sign up to tend their own plot, and one for gardens with volunteers who help the organization that runs the garden. The county uses the information to promote and support the gardens. And you know how it is in the heat of the summer -- it's tough enough to tend a garden, much less worry about drumming up volunteers for it. So help is usually as welcome as rain in September.

Here's what you need to do with the census. First, take a look at those lists:

http://charmeck.org/mecklenburg/county/HealthDepartment/MCFVC/Documents/CommunityGardenList.pdf

http://charmeck.org/mecklenburg/county/HealthDepartment/MCFVC/Documents/CommunityGardenVolunteer.pdf

Second, if you are involved with a community garden that isn't on one of those lists, or if your garden is on the list but needs to be updated or corrected, send an email to Beth Mack, the food access health educator for the county, so she can send you a copy of the census questionnaire. Her email is bethany.mack@carolinas.org.

And third, of course, would be to find a garden and get involved. Hi-hoe, hi-hoe.