Clayton News Daily

Photo by Curt Yeomans Yellow jackets climb on a flower in Jonesboro City Councilwoman Pat Sebo's garden on Friday. Sebo and Jonesboro Mayor Joy Day are seeking volunteers to help organize a community garden for the city.

JONESBORO — It’s not exactly “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” but Jonesboro Mayor Joy Day hopes a community garden will take root in the city.

If residents join in on the garden idea, the seed may begin to grow, and grow some more. With some luck and good fortune, it will become a little leafy. It may even become a little tasty. Eventually, the story of the community garden could become something more akin to “A Radish Grows in Jonesboro.”

At least, that is what Day hopes it will become.

“It’s not a money maker,” said Day. “It’s a way for people to come together and grow vegetables or flowers.”

Day and City Councilwoman Pat Sebo are asking for residents to step forward and join an organizing committee to get the garden started. They both have gardens in their backyards which are currently sporting some gargantuan sunflowers.

Day said the city needs between five and 10 residents to volunteer to serve on the committee. The city advertised the group in its September newsletter.

The group will be tasked with picked a location for the garden, as well as gathering up sponsors, coming up with a name for the garden and creating a mission statement and participation guidelines for the project.

“A lot of times things get started with a core group of people and they grow,” the mayor said. “If we can get a little core group to start, then maybe we could get some interest generated.”

Sebo said she and Day have been looking at multiple sites for the garden already, and they want to put it someplace where the plants will get plenty of sunlight and water from rainfall.

“You can grow some fruits and vegetables in there and you want it to have flowers growing around the edges so it’s aesthetically pleasing,” said Sebo.

Day quipped that she might even have the city try something a little extraordinary, like buying a plot in the proposed garden, and having watermelons grown there so they can distributed — maybe for a small price — to residents at city hall.

“It’s just something fun,” said Day. “You know I like fun."

People interested in joining the garden’s organizing group can pick up sign up forms at Jonesboro City Hall, located at 124 North Ave., or by sending an e-mail to jdurrance@jonesboroga.com to request a form. They can also call city hall at 770-478-3800 for additional information about the garden.