Pam Robinson
NYM Community Garden
The NY Mills Community Gardeners are wrapping up the harvesting of produce in their plots this week. Remaining are root vegetables, various squash varieties and the last of the tomatoes in the communal plots.
This was a big undertaking in its first year with the core committee taking on the tasks of studying other community garden projects, plowing, amending, plotting/measuring, purchasing a garden shed and making it user-friendly to families, building a compost system, securing water and ordering seeds. The 11 families planned their plots and planted seeds with care and were rewarded with abundant produce. Two plots were set aside for "communal beds" to be planted and used by all the gardeners. One of the communal plots was a raised bed of herbs and the other was a 10-foot by 50-foot swath of tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and pumpkins.
As participants gathered to pose for a group photo this week (and with next year's gardening already on their minds), some of the gardeners shared their thoughts on this inaugural year of the community garden project.
ADVERTISEMENT
Matt Radniecki reflected, "I just want to say what a wonderful experience the garden was for our family. The girls loved working in their butterfly wings and we had a blast picking the vegetables and sharing with Grandpa and Grandma. The garden provided our family with vegetables (we have frozen numerous quarts) and also a time to be together as a family and enjoy something that is natural and fun in the great outdoors of Minnesota. It is a blast to be part of something with others working toward the common goal of hopefully producing quality vegetables to have."
Dorothy Eskeli was "appreciative of all the fresh salads she enjoyed this summer and happy to have provided her sister (The Creamery owner Cheryl Humbert) with fresh salad greens & herbs".
Participants in this year's Community Garden Project were: Karen Oelschlager, Herb & Shirley Handt, Alice Martin, Kevin & Stacy Cederstrom family, Matt & Julie Radniecki family, Lynn Kasma, Victoria Mc-Wane Creek family, Dotty Eskeli, Gretchen & Rob Krueger family, Pam & Gary Robinson family, and the Nikki & Jason Perala family.
The core committee of Lynn Kasma, Kevin Cederstrom, Karen Oelschlager, Alice Martin, Pat Buerkle and Pam Robinson, as well as the NYM City Council and Al Holtberg, were instrumental in various aspects of the project. The community is fortunate to have people with vision for improving the quality of life in our area as well as the energy and commitment to see a project through. Looking to next summer, the committee is prepared to expand the community garden project to accommodate additional plots for interested gardeners and is planning educational workshops for participants.
