COEUR d'ALENE - When leaves weren't being lifted and blown around by the wind Sunday in the Shared Harvest Community Garden, they were being raked, scooped and tossed about by a handful of spirited youngsters.

But don't worry, they still got the job done.

Jamie Provost, 11, Hayden Levy, 11, and Hayden's brother, Benjamin, 7, all of Coeur d'Alene, joined about 40 others in efforts to insulate and prepare the plots as well as clean and repair the grounds to prepare for winter.

"We're making a leaf monument," Hayden said.

"We're going for a world record," said Benjamin, who was standing next to the leaf pile, which was as tall as him.

Shared Harvest gardeners and volunteers plucked weeds and rototilled soil in garden beds, removed debris from walkways and spread compost and hay on the garden plots as they put them to bed for the season. The community garden at Foster Avenue and 10th Street will be entering its seventh season next year.

Garden founder and manager Kim Normand of Coeur d'Alene said grant money given to the garden by the Coeur d'Alene Garden Club and Windermere will be used in the spring to rebuild beds and the stage and to replace the donor sign, which fell and broke last year.

"Seven years, things are rotting, you know, so time to redo," Normand said.

She said Shared Harvest has become a well-oiled machine, one that cannot function without the work of everyone involved.

"This is not a one-person job," she said. "This is a group of volunteers, and a big group, and if it wasn't for all the hands that help, we could not do what we're doing."

Jim Turner of Coeur d'Alene busied himself straightening the wires of plant supports so they could be used next season. He delicately unwound dead weeds that had wrapped around the wires. He also had a visit from a spritely young feline who romped around the garden, making children laugh and fear for their lives at the same time as it ran at them, flipped around and ran away.

"There's a lot of like-minded people trying to do the same type of benefit for the planet," Turner said. "In addition to that, any overflow goes to people who need it. And that's a big thing too. If we have extra stuff at the house, we'll bring it over here."

He mentioned one of the summer plays he attended in the garden.

"That brought the kids together and the families of the kids," he said. "It was amazing for the production that they did. It was all based on beneficial insects and they had costumes that were professional quality. It was really amazing. And they sang songs. I was really impressed."

Normand said the kids are one thing she loves about the garden.

"That's what I like about this garden, is the diversity of people and ages," she said. "It feels like family, but a lot of us don't see each until we're in the garden. It's amazing how it has brought so many people together."

Info: www.sharedharvestgarden.org