Brewton’s community garden acquired some beneficial property this week with the addition of a storage unit on the site at the former Brewton Middle School property.

RSVP Director Amy Cooley said the shed purchase was made possible using grant funds aimed at funding community garden efforts.

“We used funds from the RC&D grant we were awarded to purchase this shed,” Cooley said. “Our plan is to use the shed to house our supplies for the garden and have a place to keep garden tools.”

Cooley said a $7,500 RC&D grant was split between the two community garden sites that RSVP volunteers and staff help to oversee.

“We have also been able to purchase a green house for the East Brewton community garden site with the funds,” Cooley said. “We now have a tiller that can be used at both gardens to help make work easier at planting and cultivating time.”

Cooley said plans to construct compost bins are also in the works for the gardens.

“We will be building three compost bins to be used for the gardens,” Cooley said. “We are also going to construct some work tables to go inside the greenhouse in East Brewton. We are excited about what we have been able to do with the grant funds and are looking forward to seeing the benefits.”

Johnny Hall, who serves as associate pastor for the Second St. Siloam Church, dedicated the storage building at the Brewton garden with prayer Thursday afternoon.

Charles Smith, RSVP volunteer coordinator, said the newest addition to the property will make the gardens more noticeable by area residents.

“We hope that the gardens will get some more attention,” Smith said. “We really want to get the garden program going strong and get more people involved in the program. There are some people who live close to the Brewton garden that really didn’t even realize it was there. Now, with this addition, we hope that people will see it and want to be a part of what we’re doing there.”

Cooley said plans are in the works to have students be a part of a special growing season in the near future.

“We hope to get some students out to plant pumpkin seeds soon,” Cooley said. “With the season to grow pumpkins, we’re hoping they will learn about how to care for plants and see the results of their labor this fall. They will learn about how to use what comes out of the pumpkin as well. We’re also hoping that the harvest of the pumpkins will offer a chance to have some fun with carving or decorating.”

To become a part of the community garden efforts in Brewton or East Brewton, contact the RSVP office to learn about work days and times for the gardens. The Escambia County RSVP office is located in the Escambia County Courthouse Annex and can be reached at 867-0256.