Community garden ready for toiling

The community garden, which began last year, will have a full growing season and can begin signing up for the beds. The beds are $25 each and entitle the renters to use of the bed and to pick produce from the community strawberry plants and apple trees in the garden. The garden also has three beds of herbs to be used for education purposes.

The beds are 9-foot long by 3-foot wide and 18 inches high are available to anyone who lives in the Platte Valley.

On April 26, a workday is scheduled to clean the garden and get things ready for the new greenhouse. Beds in the greenhouse are available for rent, community garden president Jan Heinle said. The board is still working on the size of beds and rental costs in the greenhouse.

Heinle said the community garden board involves students in the garden. Last year, the children from Big Brothers Big Sisters worked in the garden. Students in the summer’s Teton Science School planted the strawberry plants last year and decorated painted rocks for the garden.

The students also planted flowers to attract bees.

A grant for the community garden from the Wyoming Department of Agriculture requires an education component, Heinle said.

The greenhouse was purchased with a grant from the Storer Foundation.

Last year was the first year for the community garden. It was developed after the need became apparent in the Voices of the Valley conversations. “It helps people be more self-sufficient,” Heinle said.

Even though it was a short season after construction of the garden, Heinle said she planted cabbage, broccoli, tomatillos, tomatoes, peas and bok choy to see how they would grow. They did well, Heinle said. “I had a pretty good harvest of broccoli and cabbage.” Her tomatoes ripened, too.

As for the strawberries, she was able to eat them right off the plant.

Heinle said the community garden is working with the students at Saratoga High School to start plants for the garden.

For more information about the garden, contact Heinle at 307-710-8099 or Jaci Schwerdt at 307-710-5478.

A contract for the garden can be picked up at Saratoga Town Hall.