Canton Woman Finds Joy (and Groceries) in Community Garden

When Debbe Shea of Canton wants fresh Swiss chard, she snips a few leaves off the plants in her garden.

Getting to the garden means Shea has to drive from her home to . There, she and friend Karen Szymanski are among the Canton residents working small patches in the community garden near the .

Shea started with one plot, Szymanski started another, and the duo took over a third tilled but unused plot, which they share. The two women take turns watering, weeding and otherwise caring for the tiny gardens.

Shea's plot is jammed with mostly thriving plants, although the spinach took a turn for the worse and petered out a while back. On Sunday, she said the $30 to reserve the plot and have it tilled, plus the $10 or so she spent on plants, has been a good investment.

"I have the Swiss chard, pattypan squash — that's expensive at the store — leeks, shallots, chives," she said, adding that her tomato plants, which look promising, will be a boon.

"We have basil, tomato and mozzarella salads almost every night during the summer," she said. "I haven't had a garden in so many years. This is so much fun."

Shea said she enjoys the community plot because it allowed her to return to gardening years after giving up a backyard plot.

Gardening is one of the most popular hobbies in the United States. The so-called green movement has spurred new and encouraged erstwhile hobby growers pick up their trowels and hand forks. The benefits of growing and buying locally range from boosting the area's economy to energy conservation.

Shea scoffed at a recent dustup over an Oak Park resident's front-yard garden. "That's ridiculous," she said. "We need to use all our resources."