By Susan Andrews

You may have noticed little raised bed gardens popping up all around Suffolk this spring — in churchyards, in schoolyards, and now in backyards.

You may have seen a beautiful Suffolk Community Garden sign and wondered, “What is going on here?” or “How can I get involved?”

Perhaps your child participated in planting an educational garden at his or her school. Mrs. Akin’s kindergarten class at Elephant’s Fork School is comparing fresh strawberries from their school garden’s strawberry patch to the ones that come from the grocery store this week. They are also getting a lifelong lesson about caring and sharing and the rewards and satisfaction that come from nurturing a garden.

Community gardens are a nationwide effort to promote healthy eating in areas that may not typically have easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

The Suffolk Partnership for a Healthy Community sponsors 16 community gardens and 10 school gardens and has recently kicked off a backyard gardening campaign with its Backyard Garden Contest.

The partnership provides gardeners and volunteers with supplies and gardening support in an effort to promote healthy living and fight childhood obesity. Food grown in the community gardens goes to feed economically disadvantaged citizens across Suffolk.

School gardens educate young people about where their food comes from and give the satisfaction that comes from producing your own vegetables and living a healthy lifestyle. Backyard gardens provide families with recreation, gardening skills and nutritious produce fresh from the back yard.

Community gardens are a gathering place in which to promote neighborhood fellowship and fun, as well as raising consciousness about healthy living.

If you would like to find out what’s going on with the Suffolk Community Gardens or how to get involved, the Partnership is holding a Garden Forum on Saturday at Johnson’s Gardens, located at 3201 Holland Road.

Backyard garden winners will be announced, and they will be holding 10 drawings for free garden-in-a-box kits, as well as all kinds of garden-related demonstrations, pottery, free hourly door prizes and fun activities for the whole family.

For further information and to pre-register, call 539-1525 or send an email to info@suffolkpartnership.org or visit the event’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/905822322815112.

You must pre-register to be eligible for prize drawings.

Susan and Bradford “Biff” Andrews are retired teachers and master naturalists who have been outdoor people all their lives, exploring and enjoying the woods, swamps, rivers and beaches throughout the region for many years. Email them at b.andrews22@live.com.