Local Saturday - A Courthouse Community Garden

On a patio near the Broome County Courthouse in Binghamton, New York, a community garden has sprouted.  It's part of a program called Plant it Forward.

In what were trash receptacles, now grow parsley.

Cherry tomatoes thrive in planters where day lilies grew last year.

Here's a closeup of the tomatoes.

Nearby, peppers grow.

When I first blogged about this small community garden in May, I was concerned about theft or vandalism.  Perhaps because this is a guarded area (being next the the courthouse), the vandals have left it alone.

I'm not sure this can properly be called a "community garden" as it seems the boxes are being tended by employees of various law offices and other corporations, but it is a hopeful sign of what can be accomplished in Binghamton.

I know it hasn't been easy for those dedicated volunteers. We are in the midst of a drought.  At first, people were tending these boxes carrying water from who knows where.  Later, a grounds person looped a garden hose so people could fill their watering cans.  Still, a lot of effort has gone into growing this small garden.

But what about the flowers that were in these boxes last year?  Well, I do miss them, but Nature has provided one last surprise.  On the edge of the courthouse lawn, near a magnolia tree, sits this volunteer petunia.

Is there a downtown community garden where you live?