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Janiecia Aubry, a sixth-grader at Audelia Creek Elementary, has been gardening, at some level, since she was 4 years old. First it was okra and tomatoes with her grandma. Then, in 2005, the community garden project at the Audelia Library started. Overseen by master gardener and Lake Highlands resident Janice Fowler, the effort involves planting and caring for an extensive plot in front of the library.

One day Janiecia overheard some older boys talking about “herb.” They seemed to think it was pretty cool. When Janiecia relayed the conversation, Fowler could only smile at the girl’s innocence. She suspects the boys were talking about marijuana rather than tarragon or thyme. They laugh about it now, but the anecdote reflects a harsh reality of Audelia Road apartment life: Violent crime, drugs, prostitution and bad behavior exist right alongside sweet children and good people like Fowler, who has donated untold hours of service in an effort to keep kids occupied with something other than drugs. The gardening project at the library has provided valuable lessons for both children and experienced gardeners.

“Last year, with the drought, nothing made it but the basil,” Fowler says. “So this year we knew to plant plenty of basil.”

Now, the program is branching out and will include gardens rife with basil and rosemary — in 10 apartment complexes in the Forest-Audelia area, starting with Huntington Brook, where Janiecia lives. The gardens serve several purposes, not the least of which is teaching young people to invest in their community, even if their family rents rather than owns property there, Fowler says.

“It helps them understand the importance of taking care of something and taking ownership of the place where they live,” she says.

Under Fowler’s mentorship, and as part of the horticultural education movement associated with the library, Janiecia leads the Lake Highlands group of Future Organic Farmers of America, which is spearheading the apartment-gardens effort.

Janiecia says her involvement with gardening teaches her to focus and organize her time, since Grandma makes her do her homework before she works in the garden. Audelia Library manager Peter Coyle says Fowler and the library-rooted programs she leads are making a far-reaching positive impact.

“It makes the entrance to the library look great for one thing,” he says, “and it creates a community learning center. Janice [Fowler] knows how to reach the people living in all of the apartments — there are 8,000 families within a 2-mile radius of the library — and this is what the library is supposed to be. It’s not just about reading, but working, learning and getting the community involved.”

Fowler concedes that planting community gardens in troubled apartment complexes won’t solve the overwhelming problems that exist near Forest-Audelia, which last year was pinpointed by police as the area with the city’s second-highest violent crime rate. But when others see motivated youngsters such as Janiecia working on her garden, they are going to stop and think about what she is doing. There is a chance for other young people to become interested — for apartment managers and parents to get involved, she notes.

“Of course it’s not going to change everything,” she says, “but it puts something positive there for people to focus on.”

—Christina Hughes Babb