Vacant ground adjacent to Lee&#x2019;s Summit Christian Church and a dream long cultivated by congregation members are about to yield a new garden designed to feed those hungry for fresh vegetables and an old-fashioned sense of community.</p><p>By St. Patrick&#x2019;s Day potato-planting time, members are expected to have tilled enough soil on the north side of the church, 800 N.E. Tudor Road, for a 500-square-foot communal garden. That and a dozen four- by 12-foot raised beds will make up phase one of the church&#x2019;s community gardening project, which by year three is expected to include a 4,000-square-foot communal garden and at least 18 raised beds.</p><p>&#x201C;This community garden has been a dream for a lot of members of our congregation,&#x201D; said Charlotte Skeens, who is heading up the project. &#x201C;We took it forward because we really want to reach out to the community and interact with them. We want to create that lost sense of community, where everyone understands that everything on Earth, all living things, are connected and dependent on one another for survival.&#x201D;</p><p>To help create that sense of community, the church will invite its neighbors, ranging from preschoolers at Child Prodigy Children&#x2019;s Center to residents of the Summit Grove Senior Apartments, to share in the gardening and harvests.</p><p>There will be no charge for participating, Skeens said. But one-third of all the produce raised will be donated to agencies like Lee&#x2019;s Summit Social Services and Hope House &#x201C;for families that could benefit from fresh, nutritious vegetables,&#x201D; Skeens said.</p><p>Skeens, a landscape designer who operates a demonstration garden at the city recycling center she manages at the Lee&#x2019;s Summit Municipal Airport, said she hopes the project will raise awareness of the local need for donated produce while educating participants on the merits and how-to&#x2019;s of gardening.</p><p>A rainwater harvesting system, including a 1,000-gallon tank, and on-site composting will help teach participants how to minimize costs.</p><p>In addition, Skeens is working with Get Growing KC, a program of nonprofit Cultivate Kansas City, to line up workshops at the church on topics like gardening in small spaces and without harmful pesticides.</p><p>&#x201C;They also have a chef on board who can teach you how to cook those vegetables that are in season,&#x201D; Skeens said.</p><p>Yet another reason community gardening makes sense, she added, is that &#x201C;it reduces fuel consumption that&#x2019;s wasted on transportation of fresh vegetables across the country.&#x201D;</p><p>The project will soon begin taking shape at the church, which is located across Tudor Road from the Lee&#x2019;s Summit Walmart, as members build the raised beds from recently delivered concrete blocks and construct fencing. The fencing will comprise wooden posts, 52-inch-tall by 16-foot-long cattle panels, three lines of gauge wire above the panels to keep out deer, and 20-gauge poultry netting to deter raccoons and rabbits.</p><p>Among church members helping Skeens get the community garden growing are Wayne Burch, Lois Belser and Lori Finley.</p><p>Those interested in more information on the project may call the church at 816-524-3616 and leave a message for Skeens.