With community garden plots now ready and waiting for local families, Conservation Commission Chairman Bill Carter’s vision for Hawkins Farm has grown to fruition.

“We grew up in the city. I lived up on the hill and it was a paved hill,” said Carter. “If (other residents) grew up in the city, like I did, then before they migrated into the suburbs they didn’t have the opportunity to have this. A lot of these cities are starting to do this now, offering community gardens. When we bought the property, we had a long-term vision, and this is one of the four parts.”

Carter believes that the 30 individual plots that make up the town’s new community garden at Hawkins Farm will give residents the chance to spend some time outdoors and experience the joy of gardening all while saving some money at the supermarket.

According to Carter, the idea of carving up a portion of the 15-acre farm the town purchased last fall for community garden arose as the commission began discussing how to use the land.

Up until that point, there was not a parcel of townowned land large enough to support viable community gardening, Carter said.

Though the garden is only one aspect of the commission’s plans for the Hawkins Farm property, Carter is hoping to stir up some interest in gardening in the town as well as giving members of the community an opportunity to come closer together.

“It’s just something we want to do to allow the community to interact with Hawkins Farm,” he said.

“This is to allow the residents who don’t have room or space to go out there and try their hand at farming ... What we’re offering here is a little opportunity to do some planting and families get out there on the weekends or during the week.”

Joan Blondin, who spent a morning under the sun showing her granddaughter and a niece and nephew how to plant and water seeds on her 15-by-15-foot garden plot, said it was a chance to pass along her green thumb to the next generation.

“I want to get them out there to teach them how to grow their own food,” said Blondin, a member of the Conservation Commission. “I’m trying to teach them about gardening. Hopefully, it’ll keep them out of trouble.”

Her son, Vinny Drago, also a member of the commission, spent three days designing the garden and measuring out the plots. He stops by daily to refill a barrel of water for the prospective gardeners.

“I’ve been doing this my whole life,” he said. “We’re trying to protect what we got and we hope (the community garden) takes off.”

Carter is optimistic that the garden will draw in plenty of residents this year and is expecting to have a large enough demand for plots next year that the commission will have to organize a lottery to assign space.

For the time being, residents interested in starting their own garden at Hawkins Farm can contact either the Planning Department at 890- 2080 or by e-mailing Carter at bill_cart61@comcast.net.

“This was the vision for (Hawkins Farm). We wanted to take this property and make some use out of it,” Carter said. “We have never done this in Salem. Maybe people will look at this and say it’s a great idea.”