A garden is a magical place. From its first beginnings in Eden, the garden has been a source of life, community and the wonder of creation. For the residents of Eskaton Washington Manor in Mount Shasta, as their hands dig in the soil there is a new richness to summer days. Twirls of tomato vines, tall stalks of corn and the fresh smell of cilantro represent community for the independent living residents.

For Debbie Bailey, Eskaton's director, the garden begins in Susanville, where another independent living facility planted a garden. Her thoughts go to a piece of ground in Mount Shasta – a well-guarded, fenced-in plot of weeds belonging to Eskaton's neighbor, Dignity Health. The local hospital offers the ground for long-term use, with the residence facility needing only to run electricity and water to the site.

"I'm disappointed at first," Bailey says. "There isn't much interest when we first obtained the area five years ago." Yet as raised planting beds are built, interest sparks. The green of the garden begins to grow. As attention is given to the garden, the greater community of Mount Shasta takes notice. Solano Hardware offers building materials, rock and bark. Sousa Ready Mix provides gravel, while Knight Excavation brings in a truckload of fertile soil. The residents refurbish an old greenhouse while Eskaton, a non-profit, pays to puts a new covering over the framework.

Each year now, this garden grows in its reach into the lives of the people living here.