Bill Maynard remembers when community and gardening barely mixed. Empty lots became battlegrounds as inner-city families fought civic codes and development for the right to grow their own vegetables close to home.

How times have changed. Now, community gardens are a source of civic pride as well as produce.

"It's really picked up," says Maynard, who serves as Sacramento's community garden coordinator. "We saw some increase last year, but this year, there are more and more. There are at least 12 new church gardens (in Sacramento) this summer. It must be some sort of divine intervention."

A longtime community garden activist, Maynard has put Sacramento on the leading edge of a national trend. August is the first National Community Gardening Awareness Month, inspired by work that started here.

In Congress, Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, introduced the legislation designating every August to commemorate community gardening.

"Community gardens are on the rise across the nation as Americans look to shrink their monthly grocery bills, introduce produce and more nutritious foods into their children's diets, and as a way to create a connection between our communities and the food we feed our families," Matsui said in announcing her legislation.

"Recognizing August as Community Gardening Awareness Month will help bring attention to the benefits that community gardens can bring to America's families and support those who want to take part in feeding their families and their communities."

Hundreds of new community gardens have sprouted nationwide as people get back in touch with their inner farmer and the desire to eat good, safe produce while saving money.

More than 1 million American households took part in a community garden last year, according to the National Gardening Association, which estimates that 5 million families now want to plant a community plot.

"Community gardening is taking on a new meaning in America," says Bobby Wilson of Atlanta, president of the American Community Gardening Association. "People from all walks of life are making an effort to clean up vacant lots and grow their own fresh vegetables in our cities."

Maynard, a UC master gardener, sees it every day in his work, helping new as well as established gardens to thrive. In 2002, he launched the Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition to help urban farmers get a foothold.

Sacramento has a long history of community gardening. In 1972, midtown's Ron Mandella Community Garden (originally named Terra Firma) began on surplus state property.

For decades, the urban farmers fought efforts to develop their precious plots into parking lots or apartments before they were locked out of the garden in 2002. When housing was built on that property, a portion of the land eventually became the Fremont Community Garden, which was dedicated in 2007.

Now, community gardens are considered an asset, not an eyesore. At least 50 have been established in Sacramento with an estimated 2,000 families participating.

Such gardens have become selling points. This spring, K. Hovnanian Homes installed a community garden for its Four Seasons active-adult development in El Dorado Hills, using recycled water for irrigation.

Maynard, who serves as vice president of the American Community Gardening Association, is hard at work on new gardens in Zapata Park for the Alkali Flat neighborhood and another in Oak Park. This summer, he also worked on garden projects in El Dorado Hills, Woodland, Winters, Vacaville, River Bank and Maria Shriver's WE Garden in Capitol Park.

Such gardens use less water than lawns, says Maynard, making them a natural for cities or churches looking to save water and money.

And vegetable gardening brings people together. For a small investment of $25 or $50 a year for a plot rental, they harvest pride along with tomatoes.

"It really is awesome," Maynard says. "The Sacramento Valley already is recognized for its farming. Now, we're becoming a world-class city in urban agriculture, too."

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