Littleton garden nurtures community with fresh produce and volunteer spirit
New Hampshire Chronicle | Sept. 25, 2025
LITTLETON, N.H. —
On top of a hill in Littleton, the Mount Sacred Heart Garden spans 10,000 square feet and has been providing fresh vegetables to the community since it was given to the Daughters of the Charity of the Sacred Heart Jesus Convent in 1960.
“The best part of this is the volunteer team that comes every week, giving up their time, getting dirty, doing whatever we ask of them and doing it for others, not for their own benefit,” Evelyn Hagan, a UNH Extension Master Gardener, said.
Ruth Smith, who heads the Master Gardener Program, explained the importance of connecting with nature through gardening.
“There’s viscerally a need to connect to plants, I believe. You know, we didn’t grow up in cities as a species. We grew up in the plains connected to nature and plants. And I think when we garden, it brings us back to that and somehow fulfills a need that’s never gone away,” Smith said.
Richard Larcom, the Mount Sacred Heart Garden beekeeper, shared his role in maintaining the garden’s bee population.
“My main role here is working with the honeybees. There’s a lady, sister Monique, who was a beekeeper here for many years, and she’s been stationed in Europe for the last few years. So they didn’t have a beekeeper for a couple of years. So I volunteer to get that going,” Larcom said.
The garden faces challenges like drought, bugs and birds, but volunteers say the wins outweigh the losses.
Hagan emphasized the significance of providing fresh produce to those in need.
“The most meaningful part is being able to provide fresh, organically grown vegetables to people who might not otherwise have access. Most of what you see in a food pantry is canned and boxed foods, because that’s easy to transport and store. So to be able to harvest fresh herbs and say, ‘Here, take some, is very meaningful,'” Hagan said.
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