At this time of year it’s a race with the weeds.

Steve Stycos, the Cranston Councilman who for the last nine years is the farmer at the Westbay Community Action farm on Centerville Road knows that all too well.

Stycos is well suited for his role. He’s up early, has boundless energy and knows what the job takes. Moreover, he knows he can’t do it all alone and has cultivated a devoted group of volunteers who love getting their hands into the dirt.

Jane Smith, 83, who grew up in Warwick is one of them. Now retired – she worked a variety of jobs including an office secretary, bank teller and most recently a claims adjuster for MetLife – Jane said she volunteers for the exercise, being outdoors and because it helps others.

Westbay formed the farm on the city-owned Barton Farm property some 13 years ago for the purpose of growing its own fresh produce for its Westbay Marketplace. It’s worked and then some.

Starting on July 2 and for every Monday until late September, the farm operates a stand from 3 to 5:30 p.m. from its Centerville Road location. Stand sales average more than $200 weekly. On Tuesdays the farm makes a delivery to the Marketplace in Buttonwoods. The farm has also been a part of the Sharing Locker run by the Westminster Unitarian Church in East Greenwich the third Saturday of every month.

Produce available now includes tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, peppers and blueberries. There’s plenty more to come, assures Stycos.

As for the battle of the weeds – the farm uses no pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers – Stycos is thankful for the efforts of a Congregational Church group from Coventry, Conn. As a community service, they turned out in force to pull weeds. (Text and photos by John Howell)