Former English professor Anne Stockdell-Giesler understands start-ups and hard work. But nothing prepared her for the labor and connections starting a small community garden would require.

Five board members and now 65 members are anxiously anticipating the results of that labor: fall crops such as corn, squash and pumpkins.

The seeds of the garden were sown about a year and a half ago, when the town of Morrisville sent out a community survey asking if residents were interested in creating a communal garden space.

Stockdell-Giesler, a writer, editor and mother of two, was one of the respondents who began the planning process: a lengthy search for donated land, community partners and legal papers.

The town offered a plot of land behind and adjacent to two empty houses on Church Street for a lease of just $1 per year. Now Stockdell-Giesler and her family look forward not only to the tasty sweet peas in their backyard garden but also the new offerings from the community garden.

Q: Why is a community garden so important in a town like Morrisville?

A: People don't have space to have extensive gardens. The Morrisville Community Garden is a quarter of an acre of raised bed gardens, except for the corn, which is off to the side. If the garden is successful, we will eventually have room to grow.

Part of our identity as citizens is that we want to be a greener, more active and sustainable community. My kids stand out at our backyard garden and eat things right off the plants. That makes me feel good.

Q: How will the garden serve as an educational opportunity for children?

A: We have already participated in some town events and hosted booths at the Western Wake Farmers Market. We did a craft with the children using old egg cartons and filling them with dirt and seeds.We have partnered with Grow & Share. Their organization asks that partners donate 10 percent of the garden's produce to the needy in the community. We will be donating ours to the Interfaith Food Shelter.

Grow & Share will give classes at the garden in subjects like composting and starting seeds. We have some homeschooling families who will attend, and Sterling Montessori wants to work with us.

I would like children to know that lunch doesn't come from a plastic bag at the grocery store.

In addition to producing healthy food, gardening is a wonderful form of being active: digging, planting and weeding. You get the benefits of not only being physically active but feeding yourself, too.

Q: What are the expectations for members, and what are your plans for crops and membership growth?

A: Everything is owned by everyone at our garden. The general policy is that everyone commits to spending about two hours a week in the garden, and there will be additional major work days. We're lucky -- we have members but also close to 100 Green Hope High School students who will come out and help on the big projects.

As far as membership, We have about 65 members right now, and in the next couple of years, I would love to see 300 households and growing. There is always attrition and addition with a project like this.