Lynn Nicholson

The Parramore Community Garden doesn’t just produce fresh fruits and vegetables. For the community around the garden it also produces peace, harmony and a sense of place. Lynn Nicholson who cofounded the 12-year-old community garden, in partnership with a Mayor’s Matching Grant, is the garden’s director. His seven decades of farming experience and deep-seeded passion for growing crops and community in his neighborhood are evident in everything he does. He routinely shares his experience and love with novice gardeners, generously giving sustainable growing tips and sharing techniques he’s learned over a lifetime.

Mrs. Joy Jones, one of the volunteer gardeners, shared that Lynn “is a tireless ambassador for the garden and advocate for its 19 plot volunteer gardeners, who range in age from 20 to 80, all who share the spirit of comradery and generosity.” Mr. Nicholson makes it his goal to create harmonious relationships among gardeners. He creates a family-like atmosphere by encouraging gardeners to be respectful of one another’s’ plots and methods, to take care of the community beyond the garden by sharing the harvests with neighboring residents who do not tend plots and encouraging children to assist in the garden.  

Lynn sees the community garden as an opportunity to care for those he encounters as whole people, routinely facilitating discussions in the garden around healthy eating and asking members, who represent cultures from across the African diaspora, to share cultural folklore. The gardeners look forward to the annual gathering where members bring potluck dishes made with ingredients grown in the garden. He ensures Parramore neighborhood residents benefit from the fresh, organically grown produce that gardeners share free of charge during harvest time.

Recently, Mr. Nicholson earned the Parramore Community Garden a grant from the Orlando Realtors Association Foundation that helped the garden get a whole new facelift that included new borders, irrigation, hydroponic towers, a tool shed, picnic tables, greenhouse and garden tools. Lynn Nicholson is truly a servant-leader whose service to the Parramore Community Garden extends far beyond the gates of garden. Thank you, Lynn Nicholson for your perennial commitment to the Parramore neighborhood and the City Beautiful.