Growing Wellness

With just a little digging-in-thedirt sweat equity, the West Ocala Wellness Community Garden will make good fresh veggies available to residents.

› By JoAnn Guidry

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, study after study has shown that good nutrition is vital to good health and that limited access to fresh healthy food is correlated with an increased rate of obesity and diabetes. Those same studies have found that low-income and underserved neighborhoods fall into this category. But one solution to these so-called food deserts is community gardens, and West Ocala will soon have one of its very own.

“With many community partners, we’ve been working on the concept of a community garden in West Ocala for more than two years,” says Ire Bethea, recreation division head with the City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Department.

“We wanted it to be centrally located in the neighborhood within walking distance for as many people as possible.

It’s not enough to make healthy food choices available; you have to make it convenient, too. And people have to have a stake in it.”

The final piece, according to Bethea, was Ocala businessman Rasem Okab of Rana LLC agreeing to a no-cost, two-year lease on 2.9 acres. The latter is located on the corner of NW 21st Avenue and NW 23rd Avenue, just off West Highway 40. The official groundbreaking on the West Ocala Wellness Community Garden is set for January 9, beginning at 9am and lasting until 1pm.

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“We will be building 24 raised beds, putting in soil and planting fall vegetables that day,” says Bethea. “We will be planting broccoli, collard greens, cabbage, spinach, English peas, kale, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts to start. Then in March or April, we’ll plant spring vegetables like tomatoes, bell peppers, squash, cucumbers, beans and eggplants.”

For a $10 annual fee, those who wish to participate in the community garden will be assigned a raised bed. They will sign an agreement to care for the bed while enjoying its unlimited produce. Plants, tools and water access will be provided. There will also be free monthly gardening classes and cooking demonstrations.

“Community gardens provide nutritious food that might not be otherwise available,” says Bethea, who grew up on a farm. “But they also improve the quality of life in a neighborhood, bringing people together for a shared cause. We’re starting small but hope the community garden will grow good food and good health in the community.”