AMESBURY — They bring watering cans and gardening tools. They visit regularly to tend to their plots.

The gardeners of the Community Gardens are a mix of ages and occupations, but they share a common bond that brings them out to Battis Farm — that love of gardening.

"I just always need to plant and get my hands dirty," Anne Dinan said. Dinan, 43, moved to Amesbury three years ago and bought a downtown condo. With no backyard, she wanted a way to keep up her pastime. She saw a notice about the program and sent in her yearly fee.

On a 450-square-foot plot — No. 33 — she grows beets, peas, lettuce, spinach and carrots. Yesterday, Dinan planned to take advantage of the warm temperatures and add cabbage to her collection.

"I'll try to come out every day (while seeding)," Dinan said.

The community garden program began about a decade ago and continues to attract an enthusiastic following. There's 72 plots available, and as happens every year, all of them have been taken.

It is run by volunteers on the town-owned Battis Farm land, in a large open field heading toward South Hampton, N.H.

While it's a haven for condo and apartment owners, coordinator Linda Plante said the program is open to all Amesbury residents.

Plante and her husband first rented their spot about eight years ago. With no backyard, they use the space to plant all kinds of vegetables, she said.

The fee for a garden plot goes toward watering and plowing the area at the start of each season. For a half-plot the price is $7.50, and for a full plot (900 square feet), owners must pay $15. That covers the entire season, which runs from May until the weather turns cold.

The area was just plowed last week for this year. Plante and some other volunteers recently hung the string to mark off each of the 72 plots.

Though there has been a waiting list in past years, Plante said the group was able to accommodate all interested gardeners this year by separating some of the plots into two.

"They're all taken," she said.

Plante said interest has increased this year — something that could be due to the rising costs of store-bought vegetables.

"We try to accommodate everybody every year," Plante said.

Beyond just recreation or a chance to fill a hobby, the program also offers a chance to socialize. Neighbors share tips and advice or simply just gather and talk.

"It's a fun thing," said Ruth Berry-Perkins, who lives on Main Street in Amesbury.

An avid gardener, Berry-Perkins, 73, joined the community program close to a decade ago.

As she raised her family in South Hampton, N.H., Berry-Perkins kept a garden — growing vegetables and freezing them. Selling her home following her husband's death, she moved to a condo in Amesbury. After taking a break from gardening, she pursued the hobby again, hearing about the community garden program from friends.

"I've always gardened," she said.

While owners are allowed to switch their plots each season, Berry-Perkins says she keeps her half-plot, No. 18.

"I like it; I like where it is," she said.

On Monday, Berry-Perkins visited the area to plant peas. Yesterday, she had her tools ready to plant garlic and onions.

"My kids love the fresh veggies," she said.

A lot of the plot owners are friends, Plante said. "They love doing gardening," she said. "A lot of people go up every day (to their space) and a lot of people go on weekends."