Spring has taken its sweet time coming, but how sweet it is now that it’s finally arrived. I stopped by Brookside Community Gardens recently to see how some of the real gardeners of Wellesley were celebrating the return of sunshine and unfrozen, arable soil.

The 40 plots at Brookside cover a total of about 2.4 acres and are located on the south side of Oakland Street between Standish Rd. and Brookside Rd. in a residential area. Part of the property abuts the Wellesley Country Club, and Rosemary Town Forest is across the street. The Natural Resources Council serves as administrator for Brookside and for its more famous cousin, the Weston Road Community Gardens.

Here are some pics of all the prettiness:

This plot is blessed with full sun, and the soil has been lovingly tended by the gardener.

According to the Community Garden Rules and Regulations, gardeners must be residents or members of local non-profit organizations located in the Town of Wellesley. Irrigation is provided by municipal water. We contacted them via email to find out if there are any plots available, and if so what the yearly fee is, but haven’t heard back. We will update this post once the information becomes available.

If you are interested in gardening at Brookside, there’s always hope. The rules state that if there is no clear evidence of active gardening by June 1, the absentee Gardener will be contacted and given two weeks to respond. If no response is received, the plot will be considered abandoned. During my brief visit, there appeared to be more than a few plots just waiting to be weeded and worked.