WESTBROOK – No part of the Fred C. Wescott Community Center is quiet – there’s a basketball hammering on the new gym floor, children’s laughter echoing the hallways and chatter coming from inside every room.

And despite the chilly spring so far, people are slowly beginning to start planting sugar snap peas, garlic and carrots, and cleaning up their plots outside the community center at the community gardens, which first opened in the late spring of 2011.

Rita Estabrook and Jane Herbert are just two of the women who spend a lot of their free time at the center, swimming in the morning, working in the fiber arts room and gearing up for the growing season.

Last week, they were washing off the tools from the community center’s shed.

“I think we’re open to just about anything and everything creative,” said Herbert.

“It’s a lot of fun out there. We trade seeds and talk to each other about what’s working this year,” said Estabrook.

The two have been gardening at the center since the first year the plots were open. At the time, the duo split one plot, but Herbert aid she “did bad things” to the vegetables and Estabrook kicked her out.

Last year, the two had nearby plots, where they grew vegetables and flowers among the 84 other boxes, each 50 square feet in size.

The project was started through $47,000 in grants through Home Depot.

“Home Depot called us and said they’d give us grants to do the community gardens and work inside. They brought about 60 people from five different stores to help. It was a great day,” said Maria Dorn, the city’s director of community services.

Billy Hilton, who helped organize the garden, said members of the fire department came to help water on opening day and sandwiches from Subway were donated during the day.

From that initial donation, the community garden was able to add 40 more beds during the second year, build two greenhouses and paint many rooms inside the building.

Unfortunately, one of the greenhouses fell down during a windstorm, but Hilton said by the end of the year he hopes it will be back up.

The second greenhouse is used for the seed-share program, where people swap seedlings to plant inside their plot.

Many of the gardeners grow a mixture of vegetables and flowers. The vegetables are often donated to the local food pantry, or eaten as a snack while working, a favorite for many.

“Eating the produce is my favorite. Our vegetables that we grow, you can’t buy that quality in the store,” Estabrook said.

Herbert said if it weren’t for the garden’s vegetables, she’d never eat a salad.

The program is designed for people who either don’t have the space to garden or are new to the hobby and hoping to learn. Hilton said the shed near the garden plots is equipped with everything a budding green thumb needs to grow the perfect garden: shovels, hoes, rakes and more.

This doesn’t keep people who have gardens out of the running. Estabrook said while she has the space at her home, she prefers working with other people at the community gardens.

Members of the garden have also agreed to not use harmful pesticides on their stubborn weeds, instead opting for safe methods and products approved by the University of Maine’s Cooperative Extension, like planting marigolds to deter pests.

In the past, some beds have been more noticeable than others. One year there was a fairy garden, and a few people added large arches, trellises and other decorative notes to their plots.

Many of Westbrook’s city departments have rented beds. The general assistance program rented five beds last year they used to grow vegetables to donate and the fire department had a couple of plots a few years ago.

There are still approximately 30 beds left for rent. Rent for new members is $10 for the membership and $20 for the bed. Returning members do not need to pay the membership fee again.

Opening day for the gardens is officially set for Saturday, May 18, although many planters have started getting their beds ready. During opening day, snacks and beverages will be provided.

The community gardens in Westbrook in bloom early last summer. There are still approximately 30 beds left for rent this season. Courtesy photo