Community Gardens

Mutual 5 resident Anna Derby has discovered a steady source of comfort during uncertain times: the Community Gardens. Tending her plot offers both calm and purpose, as well as a steady supply of fresh, home-grown produce.

She says gardening provides a welcome break from daily anxieties. With sunlight and regular watering, she knows her vegetables will reliably grow, rewarding her efforts with harvests that end up on her dinner table.

Thinning overcrowded seedlings is part of the routine, and Derby notes that the pulled starters are often the most tender and flavorful. Recently, she used her garden’s bok choy and Japanese cucumbers to prepare a stir-fry and a crisp salad—produce she says is noticeably fresher than anything available in local stores.

Derby credits the Community Gardens plots with enhancing her life in Leisure World, calling them a valuable amenity. Over the past season, her plot has yielded lettuce, zucchini, Japanese cucumbers, kale, Chinese cabbage, Korean peppers, sesame leaves, Brussels sprouts and eggplants. She hasn’t purchased green onions since joining the garden.

Looking ahead to winter, she is cultivating leafy beets, broccoli, spinach, carrots, sugar snap peas and radishes.

Anna Derby with leafy greens grown in her garden plot.

Laurie Bullock