Spring is just around the corner and that means it’s almost gardening season.
For the third year in a row, the Greater Seymour Chamber of Commerce is accepting reservations for garden plots in the Community Garden.
Located on property just south of Margaret R. Brown Elementary School at 550 Miller Lane, the garden is an opportunity for people to plant, grow and harvest their own produce and flowers for themselves, to share with family and friends, to sell at the local farmers market or to donate to local food pantries.
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Seymour High School FFA also uses the garden as an outdoor classroom for students to learn more about creating and maintaining a garden.
“It’s a great opportunity for kids to come and learn how to grow their own food and see where it comes from, because a lot of people don’t know that,” FFA member Mollie Borcherding said when making a presentation at the first Seymour Food Summit last month.
Rental fees are $10 for a small, 10 foot by 20 foot, plot and $20 for a large, 20 foot by 20 foot, space.
Gardeners are expected to maintain their plots by watering and weeding. The use of herbicides, insecticides and black plastic mulch is prohibited. Other rules will be explained upon registration.
The first day of planting will be April 16. A special kick-off event featuring refreshments, an FFA plant sale and a plant swap is planned for April 30. At that time, Purdue Extension staff and certified master gardeners will be available to answer gardening questions.
Borcherding said the first year of the garden was a learning experience for all involved and didn’t have a lot of participation because it got started late.
“The second year did a lot better, and we had over 50 percent of the garden space rented out,” she said. “The other 50 percent was used by FFA members for their supervised agriculture experience.”
This year, they are hoping to have 75 percent of the garden rented, she added.
Students planted a variety of produce including kale, five or six different varieties of tomatoes, squash, pumpkins and corn.
FFA member Morgan Ritz said they were able to get students from Margaret R. Brown Elementary involved by having them come out and help harvest the garden. The food was then taken back into the school so the students could eat it or take it home.
“For the kids who don’t like salad, they surprisingly enjoyed the kale,” Ritz said. “It’s great for them to see that they can grow their own food very easily.”
Community gardens are popular in other cities including Columbus and Bloomington.
The idea is to provide the opportunity for gardening to people who might not have the room to grow a garden, especially those who live in apartments.
The school has provided water to the site and temporary fencing to make it more secure.
Borcherding said she would like to see the garden become so popular in the future that it has to be expanded to school-owned farm ground in Freeman Field.
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Rental fees are $10 for a small, 10 foot by 20 foot, plot and $20 for a large, 20 foot by 20 foot, space.
To reserve a garden plot, call the Seymour Chamber of Commerce at 812-522-3681.
The first day of planting will be April 16. A special kick-off event featuring refreshments, an FFA plant sale and a plant swap is planned for April 30. At that time, Purdue Extension staff and certified master gardeners will be available to answer gardening questions.
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