We are pleased to share the exciting news that work has begun on Battlefield Farms and Gardens’ community garden on Payne Avenue Missionary Baptist Church’s property at 2723 Louise Avenue! We are so grateful for the opportunity to help transform this space on property previously used as a dump for a building that had been torn down. Thanks to the support of the Leadership Knoxville Foundation, its Knox Works provided a team of volunteers to build the raised beds for this garden.
36 4’ x 8’ raised beds have been installed in the garden. Additionally, two 6’ long benches have been assembled and are ready to go in the garden. Plans are in the works for a drip irrigation system, a 14’ x 8’ shed, and 50 yards of high-quality soil, a loam and mushroom compost mixture, to go in the beds, and wood chips to fill the aisles.
Thanks to a $3000 grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority Retirees Association (TVARA), the benches have been funded, and a $5000 donation from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) will help towards the cost of the drip irrigation system. As this project moves forward, an ASB compost system will be installed as part of a partnership with the City of Knoxville and its being awarded a USDA compost grant, as well as a 50‘ x 110‘ wooden, 4′ foot high, picket fence around the entire garden.
The goal is to have the installation of this community garden completed and ready for planting on our before April 30, 2023. We are so grateful for the support of the Knoxville Leadership Foundation through Knox Works, TVARA, and TVA, as well as other local donors and partners who have helped make this project possible. We cannot wait to see the space come to life and welcome members of the community to come together to grow fresh produce and fight food insecurity. Stay tuned for updates on the progress of Battlefield Farms and Gardens’ Payne Avenue Missionary Baptist Church Community Garden and other exciting initiatives.
