LAPLACE – Gardening boxes and expert advice are available to anyone willing to take St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church up on their offering of ample land and resources connected to a community gardening project.

Ruth Montgomery, a St. Timothy’s parishioner, said the idea of a community garden project took root nearly six years ago with church officials who wanted to give back to the community and bring people together through gardening.

Officials at the church, located at 1409 Madewood Road in LaPlace, designated space in land adjacent to the church for the gardening project. Each participant receives their own gardening space, where they are encouraged to plant and tend to whatever they’d like.

“We try to serve the community here,” Montgomery said recently as she sat at a picnic table overlooking the gardening boxes. “We’re in a neighborhood, which is not a usual place for a church.”

She said the church’s location makes it perfect for a project of this kind, which ideally would see neighborhood families plant flowers or vegetables in the provided space.

The garden caught the attention of Master Gardener Mary Oncale several years ago. Oncale has lived in the church’s neighborhood for four decades.

“It promotes togetherness in the community,” Oncale said, adding many home owners don’t have enough room in their yard to plant gardens.

Oncale learned the art of gardening from family members, and she is willing to help anyone interested in establishing their own garden.

Organic practices and natural composting are used in the gardens as much as possible, and the women said, ideally, more boxes and a tool shed would be added to the project.

Several local businesses have donated material to establish the gardens, which Montgomery said suffered during 2012’s Hurricane Isaac. She would love to see families and youth organizations take advantage of the opportunity to garden together.

“Our neighborhoods have changed so much,” Oncale said of people not getting to know who they live around. “This is a chance to change them back.”

For more information on participating or donating, call Montgomery at 985-652-2983.