From guest writer Cheralyn Berry,

Hello, Durham County! This is Durham County Cooperative Extension Agent Cheralyn Berry, and I’d like to talk to you a little bit about a wonderful resource for you as a Durham County resident.

Did you know that your local Durham County Government offers resources to teach you to grow food right here in our town? If you want to reduce your grocery bill while making new friends, come on down to Briggs Avenue Community Garden! Briggs Community Garden is an agriculture education space in southeast Durham at 1314 S. Briggs Avenue, managed by the Durham County Extension Office. The 45-acre forested lot has open space where residents can learn how to grow their own food with help from Master Gardeners and Extension Agents. Community gardening is a great way to get outside, get some exercise in beautiful weather and grow healthy food. All ages and ability levels are welcome. Whether you’ve never put a seed in the ground before or if you have the greenest thumbs around, Briggs is the place for you.

Briggs Garden is open to the public every week on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. from March through November for our community workdays. Stop by and jump into one of our exciting projects growing plants in our greenhouse, feeding our worm farm, taking care of our bees, cultivating our community flower and herbs row, harvesting vegetables for the Durham Tech Harvest Pantry or caring for our fruit orchard. Hands-on learning is the best way to build experience so bring the whole family.

I like to see the Garden for what it really is – an oasis. We are so lucky to have this land in the middle of Durham that will always be here for everyone to enjoy. It will never be high-rise buildings. It will be trees and flowers and gardens of fruits and vegetables. And it will always be filled with residents enjoying these things

You can rent a garden bed at Briggs or start your own garden or orchard at home with skills you learn with us. Briggs is the perfect place to learn all of the hands-on tips and tricks to maximize your success. Whether you have a small yard for in-ground beds, a patio or just a sunny window, you can grow delicious food at home. Come by and speak with us to help get you started with garden placement, plant selection and free-soil testing. Get the kids involved - they eat more vegetables when they grow a garden at home!

Want some plants for your home? Well, we’ve got you covered! I invite you to join us for our annual Spring Plant Sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, at the Garden.

We will be selling affordable, organically grown vegetables, fruits, and flower plants perfect for your home garden. Apartment dwellers enjoy our dwarf veggie varieties that produce well in containers. Volunteers will be distributing free veggie seeds and compost (no purchase necessary) and Extension Master Gardeners will be onsite to answer your gardening questions. There are children’s art and planting activities as well as a raffle for exciting gift cards from local businesses.

Community-based agriculture is the wave of the future in green communities such as Durham. If you know of a group that is starting a community garden, school garden or faith-based garden and need help – connect them to Briggs Garden and the Durham Extension Office. We provide free technical assistance to groups to increase food gardens in our county. Or, if you have a group looking for a service project or a fun and unique tour, we host groups for free experiential learning activities year-round. Bring your groups to learn about agriculture under our shady pavilion or take a relaxing hike on our new forested trail.

There is so much to know and learn from your local plant enthusiasts at Briggs Community Garden and the Durham County Extension Office. For further information follow us on Instagram @briggsgarden, check out our Facebook @DurhamExtension or email me (Cheralyn) at cberry@dconc.gov or Gaebryl Vives at gvives@dconc.gov.

We’d love to see you out at the Garden soon!

Thank you,

Cheralyn Berry | Durham County Extension Agent