MAKING THEIR GARDEN GROW

from WTL Fall 2020

AT THE CROSSROADS

Courtland woman, neighbors cultivate bountiful harvest

STORY BY STEPHEN H. COWLES PHOTOS BY STEPHEN H. COWLES AND MAXINE NOWLIN

By the time you read this, many people in Courtland will be enjoying the fruits — and vegetables — of their labors since spring.

They owe it largely to one person, Sandra Joyner, who inspired them. She acknowledged encouragement from fellow resident Maxine Nowlin, who deflected the credit back to Joyner.

“I wanted to see things grow. I wanted to make things grow,” Joyner said in August while seated on steps that lead to inside the Courtland Community Center. “The best way is to grow a garden beginning with seeds.”

The project began about mid-May. There had been a question of whether that was the right time to start such a project, what with the COVID-19 pandemic bringing much daily activity to a stop. But after serious consideration, it was decided that perhaps this was the perfect time.

Although Joyner had no prior experience gardening, she got to work learning what would be needed.

“This is my very first garden. I wanted to do this for the community,” she said. “My late grandmother, Lucille Joyner, did a garden, but she never allowed us kids to help.”

Above, peppers are among the many different kinds of produce that have been cultivated. Below, the garden has been set up behind the Courtland Community Center on Florence Street.

Sandra Joyner of Courtland moves through the community garden with a hoe in order to chop up weeds and turn over soil. This past spring, she organized this activity with other town residents.

Community youth have also participated in establishing and maintaining the garden.

Neal Eason surveys the garden that he helped to create. That included setting up the raised boxes, filling in with soil and helping to plant seeds. Above right, at the time of the photograph, the butter beans were coming along, and due for picking within a few weeks, according to Sandra Joyner. At right, because volunteers such as Sandra Joyner kept up regular maintenance of their garden, the watermelons grew round, plump and undoubtedly tasty.

Collaboration included getting some funding from the Camp Foundation. Other community partners that were also instrumental have included A&B Custom Design, Baggett Metal Products (tools), Edwards True Value Hardware (plants) and Gray and Sons Construction (soil).

Someone who does know a thing or two about how to make a garden grow is Neal Eason, who with his wife, Michelle, lives right across the street from the center. The Gates County native said he grew up on a farm in North Carolina and, naturally, learned to This dragonfly hopped about from post garden. So he and to post, on the lookout for something to she pitched in, first eat, such as pesky bugs that seek to eat by making five 8x8 the garden produce. boxes, which later grew to 10. Alvin and Trevor Blow also assisted with making the boxes.

Forrest Johnson, another local experienced gardener, donated seeds, advice and manpower.

Joyner's cousins, Rita Britt and Stephanie Joyner, have contributed womanpower by painting the boxes, shoveling dirt, planting, raking and maintaining the community project.

Even local youth pitched in where needed, whether it was transporting dirt via wheelbarrow or pulling weeds. Speaking of youth, Joyner drafted her three children, Jeremias, Cherish and Jakari Parker, as well as nephew, Qmarai, and cousins Bill and Vaad.

What's growing? All good things, of course. Butter beans, cucumbers, kale, green peppers, snaps, sweet potatoes and even rotund and tasty little watermelons are flourishing.

A fence has been established in one large area to keep out pesky and hungry deer from the crops. A scarecrow will likely be set up later before any planting in autumn.

The garden isn't just the brainchild of Joyner. She's physically invested. During this interview, she went to hoe weeds. Both Eason and Nowlin soon came over to check on things, and the latter mentioned that Joyner is also a town councilwoman.

“I wanted to do something good for me and the community,” she said about that public service.

Her devotion to Courtland will continue with a garden next year.

She added, “I just want to feed my community.”

Maxine Nowlin of Courtland also contributed to this article.

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