MARION — A grassy triangle is tucked beside the parking lot of the Marion Council on Aging.

It’s about three-quarters of an acre in size, according to Barbie Burr. 

It was at one point the location of a small dump, Burr said, and in the 1970s, a project to widen Route 6 led to rocks being pushed into and under the ground at the site.

The land is completely dead, according to Burr.

But today, inside the space grows tomato, eggplant, basil, squash, celery, pepper, oregano, thyme, ginger, cucumber and more.

Burr, wife of Marion Select Board member Toby Burr, began a community vegetable garden in the scrap land parcel in the last few years.

Her mission was to grow food, to get people to grow vegetables, to “bring the love of vegetable gardening,” Burr said.

“I want to put to bed the lie that vegetable growing is a lot of unpleasant work because it’s just not true, and I want to bring back the love, so that when people have these allotments, they’re here,” she said. “They step into their little area, and they just feel great. They’re at one with the world.”

The community garden currently contains ten allotments, within which the proprietors of each tract can grow vegetable plants of their choosing. Inside one space grows medicinal herbs. Another contains edible flowers. The community gardeners share tools inside a nearby shed. 

“When a person goes to their allotment, they’re going to step into a small space that is theirs, that has all the accouterments they want specific to them, growing things that they like, doing work that they enjoy, and it’s body, mind and soul,” Burr said. “It’s a real fusion.”

Like the buds and sprouts inside it, the project continues to grow. It’s in a “transitional phase,” with plans to eventually open up further to more community gardeners, according to Burr.

An approaching tour throughout Marion aims to inspire potential gardeners, allowing them to “see possibilities” and “get a vision” by visiting successful vegetable gardens.

“It’s all about finding your bliss, finding what you’re going to enjoy,” Burr said. “You’re going to enjoy the work, and you’re going to enjoy the produce.”

During the Monday, Aug. 19 tour, guests will receive a program at Elizabeth Taber Library. The program will provide the addresses of the “secret” vegetable gardens around town. It’s the second such tour held.

“It’s very meaningful,” Burr said. 

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the library. The tour runs from 1 to 3 p.m.

For Burr, vegetable gardening has been a lifelong love.

“It’s just always been part of my heart,” she said.

Living in Broomall, Pennsylvania, her parents began a vegetable garden, which caught the attention of neighbors, a big impression on the 5-year-old Burr.

“Growing the vegetables, it doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” she said. “It happens in an environment of fertility, and I want to cultivate the fertility and the joy, because we need that.”