The former site of a gas station at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and 12th Avenue has been transformed into the city’s ninth community garden. The garden’s grand opening on Saturday offered free seeds, magazines and workshop information to several dozen attendees.

Entrance to Martin Luther King Jr. Community Garden (Image by: Trina Drotar)

Bill Maynard, Sacramento’s director of community gardens, has been working on this project for four years. He said half of the garden plots have already been rented at a cost of $25 to $50 per year. WIC, a federally funded organization that focuses on nutrition and health for women, infants and children, rents space in the garden, which is near their office building.

Bill Maynard by pumpkin planter (Image by: Sandy Thomas)

Andrea Kennedy, one of several people tending gardens at Saturday’s opening, has a plot divided into four sections, which include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, cauliflower, yams, chard, snap peas, snap beans, mint, peppers, herbs and flowers “for color.”

Andrea Kennedy planting flowers (Image by: Sandy Thomas)

John Roberts was busy tilling the soil, claiming it was harder than when he worked in the concrete business. He has a family garden plot where he will plant celery, garlic and broccoli.

John Roberts with wheelbarrow and tilling supplies (Image by: Sandy Thomas)

“Taking a vacant lot and doing something great signifies what’s happening in Oak Park,” Councilmember Jay Schenirer said, adding that his office will subsidize the first year of rent for residents who cannot afford it.

Bill Maynard and District 5 Councilmember Jay Schenirer (Image by: Sandy Thomas)

The garden’s site was acquired several years ago through a “grant for redevelopment purposes,” said Matt Hertel, redevelopment planner for the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. The site has been soil tested and cleaned and is, in Hertel’s words, edible.

Edible dirt in available garden plots (Image by: Sandy Thomas)

In addition to individual and group plots, the garden has community plantings, including pumpkins that will appear this fall, and fruit trees planted along one fence. Maynard said the mandarin is the garden’s ceremonial tree.

Community tree line (Image by: Sandy Thomas)

On-site compost bins will be used to teach gardeners about composting and reducing waste. Composting reduces greenhouse gasses, particularly methane, by keeping green waste out of the landfills.

Composting Bins (Image by: Sandy Thomas)

“Composting is a great soil amendment, plus it is economical,” Sacramento waste reduction coordinator Doug Huston said. “Fifty to 70 percent of waste to landfills could be composted.”

Doug Huston (Image by: Sandy Thomas)

The garden is the first official element of the MLK Streetscape and Urban Development Plan, providing access to healthy foods and improving the street’s aesthetics. Where a vacant lot once stood, a garden will provide food, beauty and community.

View toward corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and 12th Avenue (Image by: Sandy Thomas)

The parks and recreation department has scheduled to open gardens at Valley Hi Park and Camellia Park by the end of this year.