By Don Rush

Oxford’s Community Garden is growing and producing food used to help two area food assistance programs.

Established in 2021 with the help of a $10,000 grant from the Four County Community Foundation, Oxford’s Community Garden is located at the very south end of Seymour Lake Township Park, 2795 Seymour Lake Road. It is run by Dawn Medici who is the Recreation Supervisor for Oxford Township Parks and Recreation and Garden Supervisor Mary Rowley, with the help of volunteers from the community.

Last week, the 100-foot by 100-foot garden saw its fourth harvest of produce and herbs.

“We have harvested lettuce, potatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, yellow squash, white onions and the beets are ready, too,” Medici said. “We even have pumpkins starting in the back.”

In May, garden volunteers planted rows and rows of tomatoes from Cherry to Romas, green peppers, red peppers, jalapeno peppers, green beans, lettuce, herbs, yellow squash, zucchini and 27 rows of cucumbers.

“Ninety percent of what you see here we started from seed,” Rowley said.

Seeds were started in April in a greenhouse donated by Oxford Community Schools.

Wednesday harvests from the garden are donated to the Free Meals at Immanuel Congregational Church, 1 Hovey St. Friday harvests go to Meals on Wheels, run out of the Oxford United Methodist Church at 21 E. Burdick.

The seeds were donated from Tractor Supply Company. Flats of plants, potatoes and onion sets were donated by Harvest Time Farm Market.

New to the garden this year, Medici said, were celery plants. “They’re looking pretty good.” However she added, “The snow peas and radishes didn’t go so well.”

Hopefully this fall, the apple trees which were planted a few years ago will also bear fruit.

Medici said the garden can always use more volunteers to help weed, water or collect produce.

“People can go online and sign up or give us a call,” she said.

The Parks and Recreation phone number is 248-628-4801.

To sign up to volunteer online go to the website, www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C44ACAC2BABF5C52-oxford1.