There’s a bit more color and life happening on the north side of Oakdale as one travels toward Escalon.

Thanks to what started as an inquiry by two community members, the Oakdale Community Garden has not just been updated but also renovated to serve the community in a whole new way.

Co-chairpersons Gary Jones and Rachel Bahn of the Oakdale Community Garden shared the idea of how the transformation came about.

Jones said the growth and development first began in January 2021, when the two community members reached out to the Oakdale Garden Club inquiring if there was a local community garden. Equipped with information and fueled by motivation, the garden group approached the City of Oakdale in April of that same year with a proposal to resurrect the then-vacant city lot to build it into a thriving garden. The property is along North Yosemite, off East A Street, fairly close to the Stanislaus River.

“The City came up with a lease for us. It’s a dollar a year for the renewal,” Jones shared. “The only other stipulation within the lease was that we put a fence up.”

Funding for the fence came by way of fundraising. The implementation, however, would prove to create a recurring thread as the “community” came together to help the visionaries and the Oakdale Garden Club see this through. Oakdale Lions made a $1000 donation as well as provided the labor installing the fence. That was following the efforts of volunteers through Love Oakdale who first put in the posts.

According to Bahn and Jones, the City provides the property, water and accessibility to electricity, if they should decide to add features which require it.

“The City of Oakdale gave us a grant. They’re the ones that actually put us over the top,” Jones said of a grant which helped the group get things moving with steam as the community garden took shape.

Breaking ground in the fall of 2022, in March of this year area residents were offered the opportunity to rent plots or boxes.

The Oakdale Community Garden hosts a total of nine boxes and 20 plots. Gardening spots are rented out yearly. Fees for the spots are $20 per year for seniors age 65 and over and $60 a year for community members and families.

“If we get everything done that we want to do, that was enough to keep the insurance paid and maybe a few things that we have to buy,” Jones said of the annual rental fees.

Individuals are responsible for what they plant as well as caring for their crop. Planter boxes are raised and for seniors only. There is currently a wait list for boxes.

Jones shared they would like to add additional planter boxes for the seniors and that is made possible through community sponsorship. Community members may “Sponsor a Garden Box” with a one-time donation of $500. The funds are used for the construction of the 3’x5’ raised bed redwood box, with a six-inch lip making it easier for seniors to tend to. Sponsored boxes feature a plaque with the Sponsor’s name.

“It’s fun,” gardener and local Realtor Jennifer Stasio shared. “Gary (Jones) and Nancy (Podolsky) … look at this place, it’s beautiful. It’s all the love coming out of their hearts to give to the community.”

Nancy Podolsky, of Oakdale Arts, has also been an intricate part of the Oakdale Community Garden, working with Jones on acquiring additional items needed for the garden space as well as aiding with the 300-foot mural which serves as a great backdrop.

“The mural came about because Love Oakdale talked to one of our members, Rhonda McDonald about it,” Podolsky shared.

Oakdale Arts has sponsored five murals throughout Oakdale since November of 2020.

While the artist used for the Community Garden was one Oakdale Arts had used for other murals, Podolsky noted the involvement of Lisa Kjeldgaard and Love Oakdale with the garden mural.

“Love Oakdale really did the project,” she said. “Meaning they accepted the funds and everything and Rhonda as Oakdale Arts coordinated the event.”

Muralist Joel Aguilar, who did the painting of designs by Cheryl Dillwood for “Read-Know & Grow,” on South Third Avenue and “Rodeo” at the H-B Saloon parking lot, was asked to design the mural for the Oakdale Community Garden.

“I think the mural really makes us stand out,” Bahn said.

While Aguilar was responsible for sketching the design on the wall and painting the design and detail, large blocks of color were marked and left for the community to paint during a Love Oakdale project in late April of this year.

“That’s the community part of the mural,” Podolsky said of the color blocks. “We call it paint by color, which is paint by numbers.”

“The plans have changed a lot,” Bahn said of how it all began to how it is today. “It’s been a roller coaster. I think the hardest part was funding.”

Yet as it has all unfolded, community continues to step up. That includes the gardening shed, which was constructed by students of a construction class at Riverbank High School. Wood for the project was donated by Denair Lumber at cost and delivered to the RHS campus for the students to construct for the garden. Twelve trees, including peaches, apricot, pears, plums, nectarines and fig trees, were also donated for a small orchard by Burchell Nursery.

They are also adding more irrigation to assist gardeners.

“We’re always looking for funds to help mitigate purchase of everything,” Jones said of the continued progress.

“I just like being out here,” he continued of what he enjoys most about the garden.

Jones further shared a story of a local Girl Scout Troop that has leased a plot and visits regularly.

“This little girl, she just went wild. She was so excited that her corn stalk had corn on it,” he shared. “It was very gratifying to see these little kids just so excited.”

“It’s therapeutic,” Bahn contributed “We tried to really focus on the seniors, because gardening really is therapeutic and it’s so close to the seniors. They can get out and grow vegetables, flowers, just to be able to do something.”

For additional information on the Oakdale Community Garden or to make a donation, visit oakdalecommunitygarden.org; email oakdalegardenca@gmail.org or find them on social media.