GPGP volunteer and East Bare Hill Road resident Connie Grabowy (far right) helps new gardener Evie Normandin and her son Zachary plant their garden in Lunenburg. (Courtesy Photo)

When Kate Deyst and Cindy Buhner first met as young mothers in a parent play group, they never imagined that their very full lives would become even more so as the result of Deyst’s inspiration to start a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing vegetable gardens to people in need. The Growing Places Garden Project (CPGP), now in its fifth year, has built and planted 98 garden beds in surrounding towns since Deyst first sowed the seed of the idea in 2002.

Interviewed Tuesday, January 9, Deyst and Buhner give the impression of fresh air and blooming health. Both are getting ready for “crunch time,” the spring season that will keep them busy for the next several months building raised beds and helping clients plant vegetables. The idea for GPGP, Deyst said, came from an article she read in Smithsonian magazine in 1987, describing a similar organization started by Dan Barker in Portland, Oregon. With a background in cell biology and experience with vegetable gardens, Deyst thought Buhner’s complementary experience in flower gardening and software design might be a help.

“Somewhere along the way I decided to rope Cindy in,” she said.

“And I thought she was out of her mind,” Buhner countered.

Support for the idea was strong: with funding from grants, community organizations, and several individuals, the Growing Places Garden Project was launched with the goal of installing five garden beds the first year.

When Deyst and Buhner built their first bed for a client referred from the Loaves and Fishes food pantry in Ayer, neither had any carpentry experience beyond hanging a picture on a wall. With Yankee ingenuity and plenty of persistence, however, they eventually figured it out. “We learned everything by doing,” Deyst said. “The first bed took us hours, but now one of us can build three in an hour.”

Typically, GPGP builds anywhere from one to three beds in a sunny location on a client’s lot. There are a lot of challenges involved in what seems a simple proposition, however: clients often live on rental properties, and on occasion the landlord is not cooperative. A sunny exposure is crucial as well: both Deyst and Buhner want the gardens to succeed, and location is important. In addition, both women spend a lot of time with clients explaining the kind of work having a garden entails in order to ensure a positive experience for everyone.

In spite of the occasional challenges, the success of the program has continued to meet or exceed both women’s expectations. A big boost came in the form of a grant from Barker, the founder of the Home Gardening Project Foundation that inspired Deyst. After they applied for a $7,500 grant to meet a goal of building 20 garden beds, Barker came through with $10,000. “We were flabbergasted,” Buhner said. They used the money to buy a dedicated truck to transport building materials, something they describe as a big help now that they have set a goal of building 25 new garden beds each year.

Success is often intangible, though, said Deyst, and it comes in two forms: the satisfaction of building relationships with clients and watching them become proficient gardeners, and working with their crew of volunteers. When a gardener grows enough vegetables to be able to share with neighbors, Deyst said, that’s a particularly good feeling. “When a recipient becomes a donor,” she said, “That means we’ve been successful.”

Building the gardens in teams is also a big part of the picture. Both Deyst and Buhner commented on the fact that women in particular love to use the electric drill, which they are often doing for the first time. And while the work is often dirty and very hands-on, the sense of satisfaction is huge, Buhner said. “People just engage.”

Last year, GPGP hired a part-time volunteer coordinator to help organize those building efforts, as well as cultivate relationships in the Northern Massachusetts communities served by the project. Debra VanderWerf now administrates the efforts of more than 70 volunteers, including Harvard Boy Scout Troop 1. She also helps Buhner and Deyst oversee the 98 beds now in active cultivation.

Looking forward, both women want to expand the area currently served by the project, and plan to start planting gardens in Fitchburg this spring. Finding a separate “brick and mortar” office is also a goal, Deyst said, as all three women currently work out of their homes and coordination is sometimes difficult. With the solid financial backing and community support they have received, both Deyst and Buhner feel they are on sound footing for future growth and many gardens to come.

For more information on the Growing Places Garden Project, visit the website at www.growingplaces.org