PHOTOGRAPHS;AND TEXT BY ROBERT BRADLEY

There are many ways to plant a garden. You can plant straight rows or arched ones. You can form raised beds or flat ones, choose to till them or not. You can mulch in a multitude of methods and weed by hand or by hoe.

But the best way to plant a garden is to plant it in the hearts of a community.

The Lord's Acre is a community garden in Fairview that can yield up to 9.5 tons of produce a year. And that produce goes directly to the Fairview community, to those in need.

It goes to a local nonprofit pantry, Food for Fairview. It is used in homemade meals at the Fairview Welcome Table, served once a week on a "pay-what-you-can, if-you-can," basis. And at the Share-the-Harvest Market, anyone in the Fairview area can share and receive fresh produce.

The garden is not a faith-based organization, though it does get its name from a Depression-era initiative in which farmers gave a portion of their produce or livestock to local churches for distribution to those in need.

Susan Sides, the garden's executive director, says the Lord's Acre "was about communities coming together to share what they had, and still is." She puts in about 55 hours a week between working in the garden and focusing on community outreach.

"We believe hunger's greatest enemy is community, and we work hard to foster that," she says.

In the winter of 2008, a group of Fairview residents formed the Lord's Acre, and the following spring the first seeds were sown.

Garden manager Jon Strom oversees the day-to-day operations of the garden now. He organizes projects for a host of interns, volunteers and groups that contribute time and sweat to procure broccoli, greens, tomatoes, peppers, beans, onions and more on this small piece of land.

But produce is not the only thing shared here at the Lord's Acre.

Strom, Sides and their crew are constantly discussing plants and the mission of the garden as they work. They share their knowledge and stories with each other. And they share an experience together. An experience rooted in creating and serving community.

LEARN MORE

• Get info about the garden or donate funds at http://thelordsacre.org or contact thelordsacre@gmail.com.

• Look for more coverage of the Lord's Acre community garden later in the summer/fall as we follow the produce as it makes its way to the community.