"They dug and planted and watered, but when it came to weeding they all of a sudden couldn't help. "The kids had a good time in the garden," Wooden said. In fact, the children of Steward Manor had their own garden last year under the direction of Wooden, who runs the Steward Manor Kids' Club.
"I had so many watermelons I took them to the pit on Friday nights and split them open." And as for the pumpkins, well, let's just say that there wasn't any child at Steward Manor who didn't have a jack-o'-lantern for Halloween. "When I first heard about the garden, I jumped at the opportunity," said Nevius, who for years tried to tend to a few tomato plants outside her basement apartment window.Ĭheryl Wooden, who has lived at Steward Manor for eight years, grew so much produce last year that she had a lot to share. "I got together with five other neighbors and we all worked together," she said, adding that the group planted squash, hot peppers, corn and seven-foot-tall sunflowers that "went everywhere."
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That wasn't possible for Karen Nevius, 42, who works full time for the Prince George's County Police Department. The Mitchells, both in their seventies, had time to tend to their crops at least every other day last summer. My wife made fried tomatoes and cooked squash and then froze them. Last year we planted tomatoes, squash and bell peppers. "It's really wonderful for both of us," Charles Mitchell said. A high fence keeps out hungry rabbits and other critters, including residents of neighboring communities who have pilfered tomatoes.įor Charles and Mamie Mitchell, residents for 21 years, the garden has been a way to enjoy fresh vegetables not only during the summer, but all year.
Residents who have a garden plot are given a key to the enclosed area. Steward Manor provides gardening tools and hoses. It's a way to show them, look, this is what you can do with some dirt." "We plant vegetables and flowers to serve as a model and to entice the residents. "It's such a pleasure to watch it grow," Heidelberger said. Part of the garden is reserved for Steward Manor management. "We always have at least 20 people participate every year," said property manager Jutta Heidelberger, although this spring's rainy weather has delayed much gardening work.
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Residents sign up for their free garden plots in early April and do their planting as the weather allows. People have planted crops ranging from the everyday to the exotic, including corn, pumpkins, fresh herbs, brightly colored pansies and sunflowers. As a rule, renters can't just decide to repaint the apartment building a new golden shade of yellow, add a koi pond out front or plant some cucumbers and tomatoes for harvest.Īt Steward Manor apartments in Laurel, while residents aren't doing anything drastic such as knocking down walls or building their own patios, they have the opportunity to till the soil and plant crops.įor four years Steward Manor has sectioned off part of the community property and offered it to residents as garden space.
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