Bend gardeners returned to their plots Saturday morning for the opening of the Hollinshead Community Garden.

The group of green thumbs worked together to weed and hoe the garden, including the walkways. The garden features 90 designated plots. It is managed by the Central Oregon Master Gardener Association, which is part of the Oregon State University Extension Service Master Gardener program.

Pat Kolling, a volunteer at the garden, greeted gardeners as they arrived for the opening day.

“This is when people see each other after the winter,” Kolling said. “There is a nice feeling of community gardening. And some people have been here for 25 years. Once they get a plot, they keep a plot.”

Retired Bend couple Dan Brown and Ruth Burleigh have been a part of the community garden for more than 20 years.

Burleigh said she remembers when she started tending to her plot. The community garden was much smaller and less organized than it is today.

“We just came out here and put a garden in,” she said.

Each year, the couple enjoys growing radishes, cabbage, lettuce and at least one zucchini plant. They freeze some of their vegetables and eat them year-round.

Brown and Burleigh joined in the volunteer effort Saturday to clean up the garden. They were impressed with how much hard work was on display.

“These parties are something,” Burleigh said. “You won’t believe what can be accomplished. It’s incredible.”

Jenna Friesen, a landscape designer in Bend, returned Saturday to start her sixth season at the community garden. She arrived with her 1-year-old son, Joel, strapped to her back and her 3-year-old son, Elijah, who was pushing a small wheelbarrow.

When Friesen began at the community garden, she and her husband, Jeff, were living in an apartment and didn’t have any way to garden.

“I thought this would be a great way to learn and to be connected with people who could give me tips,” Friesen said.

Now, Friesen and her family regularly grow squash, pumpkins, wildflowers and some beans and peas. Elijah especially likes snap peas. “Stuff you can pick and eat,” Friesen said.

Bend resident Shannon McDowell, who works for the marketing company G5, joined the community garden last year. She had success growing kale and beans, but said she wants to try some more challenging vegetables in her second season, such as tomatoes and peppers.

McDowell is looking forward to what this season has to offer, from growing vegetables to meeting new people at the garden. No matter how her vegetables turn out, she just enjoys being around other passionate gardeners.

“It’s really nice to be back,” McDowell said.

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, kspurr@bendbulletin.com