The Historic Sandy Community Garden, which just finished its second season in a new location, is thriving. An empty grassy lot has been transformed into neat, hardy plots thanks to a local family who offered the space for free. They didn't want to see the garden's annual pumpkin festival disappear.

Today the gardeners come for many reasons: They have no sun in their own yard or no yard at all. Some people just want to garden more. A few even commute from other cities such as Midvale and Murray.

Yet it isn't a place filled exclusively with idealists or hippies who scorn grocery store food.

"I don't think most of them are really all that engaged in that political area," said Winkel, who is the garden "steward" and a co-founder. "I think on a more simple level they like being able to produce their own food and have it fresh and convenient and tasty."

Nancy Montoya, who lives in Sandy, grew tomatoes, squash and peppers in her plot this year. The bounty is important to her grocery bill.

"Because then I don't have to go to the store and pay twice as much," she said.

But it's about more than the cost. For her, putting her hands in the dirt is therapeutic, a release from daily life.

"When you're frustrated, angry and tired, it helps relieve some of the stress," Montoya said.

She knows that giving her children food from the garden means feeding them purer food without "all the extras" such as wax and insecticide.

The wider community benefits from the garden's organic approach. Each year, the community garden plants one plot for the local emergency food pantry, where needy families and individuals can get a box of food when their kitchen is empty.

That donation, along with the fruits and vegetables other community members donate, are welcome additions during this economic crisis. A single mom brings in zucchini and tomatoes. An elderly woman drops off peaches, apples and grapes.

"It's amazing how they care," said Gloria Avila, resource specialist at the food pantry at the Copperview Recreation Center.

Lately, she has been giving food boxes to 40 or 50 families each day. Some food pantry clients have mentioned growing their own food to save money, Avila said. Perhaps they may end up at the Sandy community garden.

The roughly one-quarter of an acre garden has a small waiting list, but that shouldn't deter garden enthusiasts from checking on space, Winkel said. The gardeners change from year to year.

This year they affiliated with Wasatch Community Gardens, which means more community events are likely in the future. Yet gardeners already have abundant resources at their disposal, Winkel said, whether it's the water drip system or facts on composting.

"Sometimes gardening is a little daunting to people," Winkel said. "But 99 percent of the time at the end of the season our gardeners are saying, 'I cannot believe how much success I had in my plot.' "

jlyon@sltrib.com

Green thumb?

* Want to know more about the Historic Sandy Community Garden? Call Wasatch Community Gardens at 359-2658 ext. 11 or e-mail jwinkel@earthlink.net.