2010 was a year of beginnings for the Point Roberts Community Garden. Starting last winter as a collaboration of plans and ideas, we have now come through a full year’s cycle of preparation, planting and harvesting.

From early January until mid-April, we reclaimed and expanded Ev Abbey’s old garden on Island View Lane. This was a major undertaking, but with lots of hard work and friends with machines, we were able to take back 10 years’ growth of blackberry vines, hauled away loads of rubbish, burned a mountain of brush, built a new driveway, put in water pipes, prepared beds and planted lots of vegetables and herbs.

In late June, after approval of our plan by the Point Roberts parks board, we worked with the Kid’s Camp volunteers and other helpers to build and plant five raised beds at the community center.

This part of the project was extremely popular with the Kid’s Camp kids, who helped move soil, planted seeds and decorated the boxes. It was a fun and very positive, hands-on, learning experience.

In August, we were approved as a Washington state non-profit corporation. Our stated purpose is to assist and encourage people to plant personal food gardens and to provide space for those who lack suitable land or who want to work in a group situation.

Our special thanks go to Stella Abbey for her generosity and patience and to all the rest for their invaluable help: Pat Capozzi, Judson Meraw, Craig Jacks, Bill Meursing, Steve Booth, Vince Mora, Ron Calder for loads of fill, John Bonstein for backhoe artistry, Tom O’Brien, Jonathan Short and Jake Carlson for muscle and to Naomi Shucard, Andrew Grubb and Danelle Aurilio for their energy, hard work and delightful company.