In the heart of Sans Souci, a community garden reflects the spirit and engagement of its residents.
Almost 15 years ago in the Greenville neighborhood of Sans Souci, the first seeds were planted on a vacant lot that would blossom into a thriving community garden.
Today, on the quarter-acre of land next to St. Mark’s United Methodist Church on Ethelridge Drive, you can find 20 raised beds growing–depending on the season–tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, herbs, okra, corn, Swiss chard, soybeans, green beans, beets, radishes, carrots, berries, and grapes.
You can also, as a sign at the garden entrance suggests, “play on the swing and smell the flowers,” “come to our events and meet your neighbors,” “bring a blanket and enjoy a picnic,” and “hug our trees but don’t climb them.”
Many of the garden beds are decorated with hand-painted signs reflecting the spirit of Sans Souci (from the French phrase for “without worries”). “You can’t keep the birds of sadness from flying around your head,” reads one, “but you can keep them from nesting in your hair.” “Picking is for gardeners – Join the garden!” invites another.
Sans Souci residents Neil Collins and Matthew Manley began the garden in 2010 as part of a larger revitalization effort for the neighborhood framed by the Reedy River to the southwest and Poinsett Highway to the northeast. The burgeoning garden—and the close-knit community spirit it represented—helped convince Rachel Sanchez to move her family there in 2013.
“The neighborhood was so engaged,” says Sanchez, who would volunteer to work in the garden before even closing on her new home in Sans Souci and eventually become a leader in its Neighborhood Alliance. “They were really working toward trying to improve the community for the benefit of everybody that lives there.”
Engaged Spirits of Sans Souci
Volunteers meet on Saturdays and Tuesdays to plant seeds, pull weeds, gather the harvest, and other garden chores. “All skill levels are welcome,” says Sanchez. “We’ve had people show up who don’t know the difference between a squash and a tomato. A lot of people come to learn, and some people come because they just love to garden.”
People—from inside the neighborhood and beyond—have also been coming for the popular Sans Souci Community Garden Concert Series season, which runs from April through October. On Sept. 29, local singer-songwriter Kylie Odetta will perform with Galleon Leap, with the La Katrina Mia food truck nearby. Usually through word of mouth, artists from as far away as California and even Europe have found their way to the stage under the arbor in the center of the garden, says Sanchez, and as many as 100 people have attended, seated on blankets or camp chairs.
The site has also been a gathering spot for special events like yoga classes, art classes, biking trips, movie nights, and “pack walks” for dog training.
The neighborhood has bloomed along with the garden, with nearby businesses like the Daydrinkers cafe, Velo Valets bike shop, Greenville Yoga studio, and eclectic galleries thriving along Old Buncombe Road. The recently reopened Verner Springs Park boasts a new playground and green space for gathering. Combined with improved infrastructure and roads, it’s a trend Sanchez and her neighbors hope to see continue.
“We want the garden to be a place that brings people together,”she says. “It’s important for a neighborhood to share, to build a community. And I think that’s what a lot of neighborhoods lack.”
Sans Souci Community Garden Concerts
Sept. 29: Kylie Odetta with Galleon Leap
Oct. 27: Wasted Wine with Morgan of the Pines
More information at www.sans-souci.org or on Instagram @SansSouciGarden.
