Mike Wolanin | The Republic Shirley Jefferson, left, and Judy Jackson pose for a photo in the Calvary Community Church Garden of Eden in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 25, 2024. Jackson and Jefferson helped start the community garden.
Shirley Jenkins Jefferson and Judy Jackson, both members of the Calvary Community Church, initially opened the Garden of Eden to bring better health to the church community. But what started as a way to bring better health has since blossomed into a successful community resource for everyone to utilize.
Located at 1102 California St., the Garden of Eden officially broke ground in May of 2024. The 50- by 50-foot space cultivates a wide variety of foods including tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, beets, onions, zuccini, kale, purple sweet potatoes, bell peppers, banana peppers and much more, in addition to flowers.
Created by the church’s wellness group Empower 365, the idea stemmed from Jackson and Jefferson wanting to bring better health to members of the church community. Jefferson also took inspiration from a Netflix documentary series called “Live to 100: The Secrets of the Blue Zones.” From late summer to October, they opened the Garden of Eden for weekly giveaways where people could come by and grab free food from the garden. They also gave away supplemented food from a local market including corn, potatoes and tomatoes.
“So when we got started, nobody knew what we were doing. So, they would drive up, they would come up on their bicycles because they were really excited and they were like, ‘we have to ask, what are you doing?’,” Jackson said. “And then when they started seeing the little vegetables pop up, just a lot of excitement, a lot of questions. A lot of people were just really excited to see us do something in the community and they were just excited to have free vegetables because I think that area is kind of like a food desert.”
Both Jackson and Jefferson were blown away by the community’s response to the garden, with their first community giveaway being a huge success and most vegetables given away within the first 30 minutes. The giveaways concluded in October with a large and well-attended block party, with a bounce house, snow cones, live music and more. Jackson said they also invited four chefs to teach people how to cook and prepare food, giving visitors a chance to try new things.
As many in the area have disabilities, Jefferson said the Garden of Eden provides a convenient place for people to get free vegetables. She said they also taught those who came by on how to cook and eat the vegetables they grew. Jackson said the garden helps food insecurity in the area by providing free vegetables to those who cannot afford them.
“You can go to the farmers market, wherever you go, you’re going to pay something,” Jackson said. “So, the fact that it’s free, I think that stands out for the people in the community that are less fortunate.”
As passionate gardeners, Jackson and Jefferson both love the garden, with Jackson saying they spend multiple hours out there working even though they are retired. The pair plan to sit down and discuss ways to make this year’s garden bigger and better. Jackson said they also plan to finish some projects from last year such as installing a pathway in the middle of the garden. The two have also discussed helping people learn how to start their own garden.
“So, we haven’t figured out any of the logistics there, but I do think it would be nice if we could not just give the vegetables away free, but show them how to plant them and grow them themselves because it is a lot cheaper and there is nothing like growing your own vegetables,” Jackson said. “It’s just so rewarding and just makes you so proud to say that ‘I grew this myself.’”
