Community reaps benefits of garden

By CHARITY SMITH

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Ironwood - Low income Ironwood residents are receiving fresh produce this year thanks to the efforts of the Norrie Park Community Gardeners. The gardeners decided to use four plots in the garden to grow produce to give to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Ironwood.

"Every week we take in five gallon pails (of produce) and they are just so happy to get it," said NPCG board member Helen Slining.

Bernie Smith, a board member who manages the garden, said that so far this year they have given 190 pounds of produce to the food pantry. The produce has included green beans, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, squash, potatoes and carrots.

Produce is distributed to the pantry as it ripens, so the pantry receives different produce each week, he said.

Slining said that she anticipates they will have given at least 300 pounds of food to the pantry by the time the season ends.

Slining said she drops off the produce every Tuesday and Thursday morning just before the pantry opens.

"They're thrilled ... because most of theirs is boxed or packaged, so this is something fresh that they can give out," Slining said.

Smith said they are able to donate to the food pantry because all the gardeners donate their seeds and plants for the community plots.

"It just makes you feel good that somebody who doesn't have a garden can have some fresh stuff," said Slining. "Because once you have garden produce you're spoiled."

The gardeners also provided eight homebound residents with a tomato plant that they could grow and maintain on their patio. Slining said it is a way for them to have something fresh and it has worked "great." She said they have all been successful.

"Every time I see them they are like, 'Oh, my tomatoes are ripening,' and 'Oh, I picked this many for my salad,'" said Slining. "They're thrilled. They can't come out here (to the garden.) They did (in past) and they miss they're gardens."

She said it was so successful that they are thinking of offering the program to people in nursing homes who would still be able to maintain the plant.

The garden is one of the city of Ironwood's "little-known gems," according to a press release from Board member Suzanne Davey. The garden is in Ironwood's Norrie Park, surrounded on three sides by woods.

The garden has really flourished this year, despite the warmer temperatures, said Slining.

"This is honestly the best garden we have had in 20 years," she said. "It has been the very best."

The garden has 28 plots available for local gardeners to purchase in the spring and maintain throughout the season. This year there are 13 gardeners, who have at least two plots each, said Slining.

Smith said the addition of florals this year has brought a surge of pollinators, such as bumble bees and hummingbirds to the garden.