Raised garden beds, similar to these at East Elementary in Cullman, will be built in Colony’s community garden.

The weather may give no hint that growing season is just around the corner, but at Colony, it’s never too soon to begin planning — and planting — for the first signs of spring.

Later this month, the town will begin work on a new project aimed at enriching the recreational and nutritional offerings on the grounds of its municipal complex, starting work on a series of raised-bed gardens that residents can tend to grow veggies, herbs, flowers, and more.

In partnership with the North Alabama Agriplex, and thanks to a $10,000 grant the town received from Atlanta’s Morehouse College, Colony’s Community Garden will begin growing on Jan. 21, when organizers and volunteers roll up their sleeves and get to work. Anyone with an interest in gardening is welcome to show up and lend a hand — and donations to the program, said Agriplex outreach coordinator Sonya Nail, are welcome.

Designed by program coordinator Neville Franks, the raised garden beds will be built with accessibility in mind. The beds will be constructed high enough to allow for wheelchair clearance, so that a person in a wheelchair can sit comfortably against the edge of the beds — just as they would at a desk or table — making it easy to work the soil with his hands.

Nail said Friday the goal is to have an initial round of ten raised garden beds built by March 15, with plans calling for as many as 20 raised beds as the program develops. In addition to the garden itself, the program also will guide participants, produce in hand, to the Agriplex throughout the growing season for tips and how-tos on preparing or preserving what they’ve raised.

“There will be a full spectrum of everything, from planting to harvesting to canning and preserving,” said Nail. “We plan on having classes for the gardeners and inviting anyone in the community. We welcome volunteers, and we’re looking for sponsorships and donations as the program’s sponsoring nonprofit, so anyone who is interested can get in touch with me at 256-338-9040.”

It all begins on Jan. 21 at the Colony municipal complex, within sight of the town’s recently-installed storm shelters. Work on the raised beds will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m.

“Volunteers can just show up and bring their own gloves, and perhaps any other small gardening tools they want to bring,” said Nail. “This is a ‘BYOT’ — that’s ‘bring your own tool’ — event.”