COEUR d'ALENE - The sweet smell of lavender mingled with the crisp, woody aroma of fresh bark as the Shared Harvest Community Garden vibrated with life.

More than 80 plot owners and volunteers hustled and bustled in the Sunday morning sunshine to spruce up the garden for its sixth season.

Little Julianne "Frankie" Mello, 2, wore fairy wings as she helped her mom Melissa weed and tidy up the plot where they grow tomatoes, herbs and lettuce.

"We have a little blueberry plant that's trying to make it," Melissa said. The Mellos have planted in the community garden for three years.

"It's an awesome place to take the kids," she said. "We live close by, so we can just walk down here and spend an hour or so at the garden. It's a nice little outing."

Melissa said her children love to water the plants.

"It's very kid-friendly, so the kids can learn and watch things grow," she said.

The annual spring clean-up readies the garden, located at 1004 E. Foster Ave., for the upcoming growing season. Everyone pitched in to replace beds, pull weeds and transfer last year's hay to the compost piles. Steve Conant of Coeur d'Alene used a rototiller on several beds, assisting other gardeners in preparing their plots.

"We donate food to the food bank," he said. "I love to garden, and to do this and contribute in whatever way is a fun thing for me," he said.

Shared Harvest gardeners contribute produce to Community Roots Local Food Share, which washes, weighs and distributes the food by bicycle to assistance programs such as local food banks, soup kitchens, women's shelters, homeless shelters and senior centers. Last year, 6,715 pounds were distributed.

"We just appreciate it all," said Roots coordinator Jess Bennett of Coeur d'Alene. "Some people can give a little, some people can give a lot, and it all goes to a really great place."

Starting July 9 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Bennett said representatives of the receiving organizations will be invited to the garden to collect the produce and take part in the process as well as meet the gardeners face to face.

"Anyone in the community can bring any excess produce to us at that time," she said. "There are a lot of people who don't have access to fresh vegetables, they've never eaten a tomato off the vine ... I think it's important that everybody has access to healthy, nutritional food."

Shared Harvest Community Garden coordinator and founder Kim Normand wore a smile and orange garden gloves as she worked alongside volunteers. She said all of the 60 plots and two wheelchair-accessible beds are rented for the season.

"To me, it's really exciting to see that it's still going strong," she said. "We have a lot of past plot owners that have been here from the start and a lot of new ones, also. It's always good to have fresh blood. People like the energy. This year should be a fun year."

Shared Harvest Community Garden has upcoming events in May and August.

Info: www.kealliance.org/shared-harvest-community-garden/