Augusta is catching up with cities throughout the country that are embracing community gardens.

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Tyshiekie Jones, 11, points to some basil he grew this summer in the community garden in Central Park on Merry Street.

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Sandy Hodson/Staff

Tyiena Jones, 4, picks fresh basil. She often accompanies her older brother when he goes to tend his plants in the garden.

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Sandy Hodson/Staff

Christine O'Maera shows Tyshiekie Jones and Dewand Ware, 10, the spent blossom of the sunflower plant that will produce the seeds for next year's sunflowers.

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Central Park Garden, Harrisburg and the New Bethlehem community gardens are up and growing. Although Central Park at 1180 Merry St. is still in an experimental stage, the garden is full of vegetables and herbs, and several neighborhood kids have developed green thumbs.

"We really don't have a waiting list any longer," said one of the organizers, David Hartmann. "We are looking to expand."

With the help of Ron Houck of Augusta's Recreation & Parks department, the idea of a community garden in the lower Hill area became a reality, Hartmann said. The Merry Street park wasn't being used much except for occasional visits by children to a swing set that did not meet safety codes.

Although the park had fallen victim to vandalism, it is making a comeback with the regular presence of gardeners and the vested interest of neighborhood children, Hartmann said.

Because of her shady yard, Christine O'Meara needed a sunny place to grow vegetables. She also wanted to be a part of the community project and to promote healthy foods, she said.

The kids are great, she said. They are learning about plants and how to be good stewards of them.

Tyshiekie Jones, 11, said he spotted the gardeners the first day they came to the park near his home. It wasn't long before he and his little sister, Tyiena Jones, 4, became regulars. A huge sunflower plant bursting with blooms is his contribution.

Dewand Ware, who is almost 11, was intrigued by his friends' accounts and decided to come see what was going on at the park. He has mastered the art of watering.

He points out the watermelon plants he and other children grew from seeds.

The kids are great at keeping others from doing harm to the garden, Hartmann said. He hopes the garden will be part of a neighborhood revitalization. The gardeners also contribute by helping to keep the park clean, he said.

The plan is to continue to garden through the fall and winter -- as we can do in the Augusta area. Anyone interested in taking part can find information and contacts through the garden's Web site at centralparkgarden.info.

Shirley Christie is leading the community garden efforts in New Bethlehem. She volunteers at the community center and pushed for a garden at the center.

Community gardens make great sense, especially in areas where neighbors have limited shopping opportunities and access to fresh vegetables. You can't beat the price of seeds or the satisfaction of being self-sufficient, she said.

Houck said the city was thrilled with the idea of community gardening.

"I think community gardens provide a number of benefits in promoting a healthy, active community, and we would be supportive of expanding this program, given the fact there are other groups in the community willing to participate," Houck wrote in an e-mail.

While the recreation department doesn't have a specific program for children interested in gardening, Pendleton King Park, now under the umbrella of the recreation department, and the Augusta Garden Council are working together to offer more activities for kids.