[PHOTOSTORY 1: OUTDOORS] Community Garden, Keowee Key

 By: Zoe Boylan 

This is the sign at the front of the community gardens at Keowee Key. All members of the neighborhood are given the chance to enter for their own plot at the gardens. 

Bill Davis, 67, is watering his different kinds of tomato plants. "You get bored of the same tomato when they ripen at the same time so I planted different kinds that ripen at different times like cherry tomatoes and beef steak tomatoes." 

Bill Davis is watering his squash plants. He plants all kinds of vegetables in his garden such as squash, tomatoes and onions.

Bill Davis is pointing to his friends plots down the row. "I don't have a big plot like my friends do. They plant all kinds of stuff. I just plant what I know I'll use and eat." 

These are Bills vidalia onions he has in his garden. These onions are almost ready to harvest and they have a week or two left. 

The Keowee Key gardens are private gardens within the neighborhood community. There were problems with people coming and stealing vegetables from other peoples gardens. 

Debbie Durand, 69, is shoveling decomposed leaves into her wheel barrow. These decomposed leaves help to fertilize the plants in her garden. 

Debbie is taking from the biggest pile of the leaves to ensure she gets the best and the most decomposed. These leaves also help keep the weeds down in her garden. 

This is Debbies wheel barrow she brings with her everytime she comes to the garden. "Its hard to bring this with me everytime and its only me that takes care of my gardens." 

Debbie is bringing the leaf mulch she had just shoveled back up the road to her garden. The mulch mound is right down the road from her garden. 

Debbie is bringing her wheelbarrow up the path to her garden to begin to mulch it. The path is short up to her garden and is easy to get to. 

Debbie is throwing the mulch onto the plants in her garden. "I'm throwing it on top to prevent weeds from growing near my plants." 

The mulch is now on top of the plants and will protect from weeds. This will not harm the plants by being ontop it still allows it to grow normally. 

Debbie is putting the left over mulch into the back corner of her garden so she can continue to use it. "It's helpful to have more here so I don't have to go back and forth." 

Debbie is ensuring that all of the mulch is out of her wheel barrow and covering her plants. She takes pride in her garden and doesn't want it to be ruined by weeds invading her garden. 

Debbie is pulling the weeds around her garden. She comes everyday to take care of her multiple gardens and keep them in good condition. 

There are other beautiful gardens around and they range is size. There are three big areas where there are gardens. 

This is one of the roads in the community garden lined with personal gardens on both sides. People come to take care of their gardens everyday adn its in its peak in the spring. 

Martha Naggs, 56, is watering plants in her friends garden. "This community supports each other, there are so many beautiful gardens." 

This is Debbie durand leaving after working on her garden. The community garden is located at the front of the neighborhood Keowee Key.