The afternoon heat blazing into the Cardinal Lake Community Garden last week didn’t deflate the spirits of girls from scout troop 164 as they energetically set about weeding and watering.

“We have to do certain things to earn certain badges,” said 10-year-old Haley Bernardo. “It’s really fun, even if you don’t feel excited about it at first. It’s all about helping.”

The handful of girls tending the garden proudly pointed to the crops, explaining which plants were stronger and easier to care for than others. The 10- and 11-year-olds designed and planted the garden a little over a month ago, and already the three plots of cucumber, okra, tomatoes, potatoes, watermelon and more are promising a bountiful yield.

As part of their community-service work, each girl comes once a week throughout the summer to maintain the plants and harvest any fruits or vegetables, then take them to the Duluth Co-op, a ministry that offers foods, goods and services for people in need. Troop leader Courtney Bernardo said fresh foods are a rarity in the co-op’s offerings.

The garden sits on an undeveloped patch of floodplain in the Cardinal Lake Estates neighborhood. The parcel is owned by the Cardinal Lake Civic Association, which was pleased when Bernardo approached them with the idea to develop it into a community garden, anchored by the Girl Scouts and their summer project.

Resident Tom Stricker, who was tending his corn he planted near the girls' produce, commented on the good growing conditions the direct sun and nearby tall trees provide. It didn't hurt that tree companies dumped their wood chips there for years as well.

"Cardinal Lake is the ideal place for a project like this," he said.

Tucked away secretly behind the bustle of Duluth, Cardinal Lake has the look and feel of a vacation retreat. The area's hub contains a pool, a clubhouse and a beach at the 38-acre Cardinal Lake. There is also a smaller lake next-door, the 9-acre Canary Lake.

“As the day goes on, you’ll see kids walking up to the pool or a group of guys starting a grill and a game of horseshoes at the beach,” Bernardo said. “It’s a very close-knit community, where we all look out for each other.”

Cardinal Lake is one of Gwinnett’s oldest and largest subdivisions, with approximately 700 homes. The neighborhood was developed in the late ’50s around the two man-made lakes. Developer George Faulk noted the abundance of bird life in the area, particularly cardinals, and named every street after a bird. A few years ago, the Audubon Society recognized the neighborhood as a bird sanctuary.

Residents continue to pursue activities, including birding, boating, swimming and, now, group gardening as a way to help the neighborhood remain close to nature.