There’s something magical and certainly satisfying about planting a seed – or a seedling – and watching it grow.

Going back more than two years ago, Julian Traschel single-handedly convinced the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake to allow a community garden to be established in Newark Park, off Lakeshore Road.

Now in its second successful summer season, Traschel’s brainchild quite literally has blossomed, taking root and bearing fruit – and vegetables – as well as becoming a home for much-needed pollinators like birds, bees and other insects.

One man’s plan, in concert with the Town of NOTL and others, means that a few dozen 10 by 10-foot garden plots are now lovingly tended and generate fresh “farm-to-table” food for NOTLers who participate.

And as Traschel told our reporter at last Saturday’s open house, “It’s brought life to the park. If you go look at the pollinator flowers there’s so much activity over there.”

To the dedicated band of gardeners who are tending their crops in Newark Park, we offer best wishes for a bountiful harvest and look forward to many more successful growing seasons.