The Attleboro Community Garden, now in its 20^th year, opened on April 7^th. Although it was a cold and dreary day, about 30 gardeners took part in opening day activities that included cleaning the grounds and adding soil and compost to garden plots.  During the morning, gardeners also accepted a rest area and kiosk which were planned and built by Eagle Scout candidate Cameron Griswold.

Even with the unseasonably cool Spring, the Garden is starting to come to life.  On May 2, Attleboro Girl Scout Troop 4984 stopped by the Garden and gave gardeners garden buckets.  The Girl Scout troop took some of the proceeds they earned from cookie sales and made 60 garden buckets that they distributed to different organizations.  The buckets contained, garden gloves, tools, seeds and a decoration.

Upcoming activities at the Garden this year include a ladybug release, scheduled for June 22 at 5:30 pm; garden party and potluck lunch on June 23 from 10:30 am to 1 pm, and a 20^th Anniversary Celebration tentatively scheduled for September 8^th.

The Attleboro Area Community Garden continues to be a hidden gem in Attleboro. All 62 plots, including 8 accessible plots, were leased out by the Garden Opening Day in early April. On June 28th, over 30 giggling adults and children helped release 9,000 ladybugs into the Garden. The educational and fun event was sponsored and presented by Bloom Gardening for Good. Gardeners and their families and friends learned about good bugs and bad bugs – ladybugs help keep the aphid population down.

Despite a late start to the growing season due to cool and wet weather during the spring, the Garden held Harvest Day events on July 29th and August 26th. On these days, gardeners gathered several boxes of fresh produce from their plots which were then donated to the nearby Hebron Food Pantry. Souza Family Farm in Rehoboth took part in the July Harvest Day and donated 2 bushels of summer squash.

The Community Garden is looking forward to a few enhancements over the next months. Garden committee members have been working with Eagle Scout candidate Cameron Griswold who is planning to build a rest area between the Garden and the 10-mile River. This will allow gardeners as well the general public to be able to sit and rest while enjoying the beautiful scenery. Cameron is also building a kiosk for the Community Garden to allow for posting of garden news and resources as well as information on local food pantries. Students at Attleboro High School are building a shed for the garden. The materials are being paid for by a grant the Garden received last year from the New England Grassroots Environment Fund.

The Community Garden is not only a place for gardeners who have plots to enjoy, area residents frequently walk through the garden with their families looking at what is being grown in each of the plots and looking for ideas for their home gardens.