Oak Park gardeners find common ground

Crowded developments and miniscule backyards are driving homeowners up a wall. Community gardens are a popular way for residents caught in the urban squeeze to keep their gardening skills intact and their neighborhood looking beautiful, and it's a trend that's growing.

Community gardens are a sign that people care.

The flowers, fruits, herbs and vegetables that fill the community garden at the corner of Kanan Road and Sunnycrest Drive in Oak Park are in full bloom now, even as the summer shadows begin to grow long. Spring, summer, fall or winter, the Oak Park Community Gardeners gather here regularly to keep the 59 plots, each measuring 10 feet by 20 feet, looking pruned and pampered.

The garden began in 2005 from seeds of ins p i r a t i o n planted by the Comm u n i t y Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the betterment of Oak Park.

Plots rent at $60 a year along with a small deposit and yearly donation.

Like a modern-day commune, the gardeners share water, tools and the fruits of their labor. Fundraisers are held and donations are plowed back into the community.

BOUNTIFUL-Oak Park Community gardener Melanie Festa, far left, receives a bunch of freshly harvested carrots from garden founding member Pat Burnett. The gardeners aren't the only ones busy at work. Above, a pair of bees harvest pollen from a sunflower in bloom. The garden still has several plots for lease. Call (818) 735-9957. -John Loesing