weeds, and then occasionally, when you are lucky, eating — and sharing — the fruits of your labors,” said Sam Lisi, who joined the garden immediately after moving to Oxford six years ago. One of the early tenets of the garden was sharing with the wider community. Since the inaugural season, four of the garden’s largest plots have been dedicated as “Community Harvest” and are grown exclusively for The Pantry, Oxford’s emergency food donation station. Spearheading this effort are Beckett and Mary Hartwell Howorth, who donated hundreds of pounds of produce to The Pantry last year. Last summer, health concerns kept the Howorths away from the garden, but other members stepped in to help. Shirley Gray rallied volunteers to come out and weed, water and harvest at the height of the hot Mississippi summer. “Oxford has a fabulous food pantry, and it is filled with good food for people that need that help,” said Gray. “However, we all know everybody needs more access to fresh vegetables, and that’s what the garden is able to provide.” Of course the COVID-19 outbreak put the brakes on the “community” aspect of community gardening. For a time, gardeners staggered their visits, coming individually or in family groups to tackle communal jobs such as mowing and weeding. Now they can visit with each other again, from a safe AUGUS T 2020 | INVITATION
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