The garden behind the old neighborhood center is most active before the heat arrives. Volunteers water rows of tomatoes and greens, check on the pollinator beds, and trade advice about what survived last week's storm.

Produce goes home with volunteers and to a weekly pantry table. Just as important, organizers say, is the chance for children to see food grow through a full season instead of appearing only in a grocery aisle.

The garden's next project is a shaded seating area. It is a practical addition, but it reflects the larger goal: make the site useful even for people who did not come to plant anything.