Grygla has a new community garden

Located where the old café used to sit, the city is working to increase fresh, healthy food for people within our community. After receiving a grant through the University of Minnesota/Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, a community garden was worked up by Mayor Richard Mosher and vegetables were planted with the help of community members.

Helping to plant veggies on Saturday, May 3rd, were Shirley & Orvis Nordby, Betty Ostby, Jessica Nordby, and her daughter, Sam.

Sam, who will be a Grygla 5th grader, says she wanted to help out and thinks gardening is fun! She marked all of the rows and goes to check on things daily. “I like to make sure no one is destroying it and I make sure no weeds are growing,” she says.

The produce will be going to whoever helps out and participates in the garden work. Depending on how successful it is and the amount of interest from community members, the garden could possibly be expanded.

University of Minnesota SNAP-Ed Educator, Kristina Kaml, says, “The community garden can be as open and free as they’d like it to be. Each community can be creative and use their grant dollars however they’d like! As long as they are promoting fresh and healthy food for people within the community, that’s what it’s all about!”

Beets, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, sweet peppers, onions, tomatoes and beans have been planted, along with a row of flowers! 

If you read the article in last week’s Grygla Eagle, you’ll know that the city has implanted a new program called “One Vegetable, One Community.” OVOC unites local communities by encouraging gardeners of all levels to plant, grow, cook and/or share a featured vegetable of the year. The vegetable Grygla chose for their first year is beans, which are planted in the community garden. Bean trellis’ can also be seen in the Grygla Garden Club pots in front of Cenex and the Grygla Coop. In addition, “bean bags” have been made up and are currently being distributed at the Coop, Farmer’s Union and the library. Each bag contains 10-20 purple beans, along with recipes. Kids and adults are encouraged to grown them - if you don’t have a garden spot, a milk jug works great!

For more information and to hear about the progress, the U of M Extension SNAP-Ed will have a booth set up at the Grygla Centennial the last weekend in August.