June 14, 2018
Grinnell’s array of giving gardens are yielding fresh produce available to all. Several deliveries of produce have already been made to Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA) to be made available to families using the MICA food bank. Many of the ongoing gardens are at locations where volunteers do the planting, tending and harvesting.
The two large gardens maintained by Imagine Grinnell are expanding this summer which include locations at Ahrens Park and Marvin Garden on Marvin Avenue. A garden at Station Clubhouse is being added and a giving garden in Brooklyn has been started. Other existing giving gardens include locations at the Grinnell Community Daycare and Preschool, Davis Elementary, Unity Point Health-Grinnell Regional Medical Center, St. John Lutheran Church, Summer St. Park, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
Giving gardens usually have a core of people committed to tending them and harvesting produce, and part of the giving garden concept is that anyone can step forward and weed or harvest. Produce not taken to a home directly from the garden is usually given to MICA.
Imagine Grinnell is handling the large garden in Ahrens Park located near Penrose St. and next to the Dolly Ahrens garden filled with flowers. Two years ago volunteers planted peach trees, gooseberry bushes, strawberries, serviceberries and grapes in the Dolly garden. Executive director Rich Dana notes that the grapes need an arbor to climb and there are several apple trees located in Ahrens Park from which anyone can pick.
The large Ahrens garden is now growing five varieties of heirloom tomatoes, a variety of sweet and hot peppers, green beans, cabbage, broccoli and kohlrabi. Perennials there will be herbs. Dana plans to add more raised beds, some high enough so those in wheelchairs can tend them, add a sidewalk from the main walking path along Penrose to the giving garden and eventually plant bushes and trees bearing edible fruit by the benches along the park’s walking path.
Imagine Grinnell owns Marvin Garden, a 0.6-acre tract on Marvin Ave. given to Imagine Grinnell last year. The site has annuals like tomatoes, spinach and peppers growing in raised be ds and beds for perennials such as strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus and horseradish in the ground. More raised beds for annuals are planned.
Dana announces projects in the gardens on the Imagine Grinnell’s facebook page and will soon set a work schedule, inviting volunteers to work in one of the gardens on specified nights when others will also be there.
