What Shall the Garden Grow?
Last Thursday we met with the residents and Executive Director of Swede Haven in Stromsburg to discuss the upcoming community garden and get their input on what to grow. We were pleased that about 15 residents were there to provide input, and they were very excited by the idea! We distributed a short “ballot” of sorts and asked them to check off all of the vegetables/fruit they would prefer. Listed below are the ones they selected, in descending order of popularity:
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Onions
- Bell Peppers
- Green Beans
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Strawberries
- Melons
- Zucchini
- Sweet Corn
- Radishes
- Salad Greens
- Green Peas
- Rhubarb
- Asparagus
- Pumpkins
- Winter Squash
- Okra
- Beets
After stepping off the garden area, it looks as if we’ll have around 1200 sq. ft. of garden space, and so I believe we’ll have plenty of room to grow most of the things listed above. Also, we will try to plan for at least a few benches around the garden to allow anyone who is interested to come sit and join enjoy the garden activities. Several residents also expressed interest in working the garden as well! Additionally, three of residents expressed interest in joining us to serve meals at Matt Talbot–and all agreed to donate the surplus produce from the garden to our meals at the Kitchen!
Finally, we’re going to try to plan at least a few cookouts on the patio at Swede Haven throughout the garden season to enjoy each other’s company and celebrate the beautiful summer weather!
I do hope you’ll join us! More to come as we make further preparations!
Tags: Garden