The Community Growers of Montgomery County’s Third Annual Garden Walk is just around the corner.
This year, organizers will put a new spin on the tour as compared to its usual neighborhood walk. The tour will take place at the Sustainable Initiatives Community Garden and Smith Farm.
For 15 years the Community Garden has been a place for local gardeners to rent their own plot to grow produce and flowers. The garden also maintains plots to produce food for the local food banks. This area will be the focus of the first half of the tour where visitors will learn how each grower manages their plots and what inspires them to grow.
Steve Middleton has watched over his plots at the garden for the past 12 years. Middleton’s gardening roots run deep as he recalls his grandparents having a greenhouse in New Market back in the 1930s. As a boy he would grow and sell parsley to the restaurants of Crawfordsville for 10 cents a bunch. Middletown now keeps three plots in the garden and is excited to share what he has picked up over his years spent digging in the soil.
For Eve Grayson, the Community Garden has been the perfect place to grow as a gardener. At first, she didn’t have a lot of gardening experience, but over the past five years has learned some ways to strike a balance between keeping a garden and her busy life as a mother. The key for Grayson has been using mulch on her beds to maintain moisture and suppress weeds.
In addition to Middleton and Grayson, participants will hear from other gardeners and their stories, as well as from Sue Lucas, who manages and keeps the garden going.
“With 15 gardeners at the Community Garden in 2024, there’ll be a lot of variety to enjoy and different growing practices to appreciate,” Lucas said. “Each year brings new opportunities to learn for everyone, from the first-time grower to those who’ve been at it for decades. This project was always intended to be as much about ‘community’ as gardening. New friends are made, and when produce starts coming on in force, sharing some fresh veggies with a neighbor is inevitable.”
Gardeners also grow produce for donation to the FISH Food Pantry of Montgomery County.
“Gardeners are expected to provide at least three hours during the season to assist with donation crops and maintaining common areas,” Lucas said.
The latter half of the tour will be Brian and Susan Smith’s farm. If you name it, the Smiths probably grow it. From their large pumpkin patch and rows of berry bushes to wildflowers and an apple orchard, the Smiths have years’ worth of experience growing just about anything you can think of. Don’t be surprised to see the odd critter here or there either. Susan Smith will have plenty to share.
The tour is free and will be from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at 2410 State Road 47 just south of Crawfordsville. Signs will guide the public to the parking area on the south side of the property. The Community Growers will have handouts, resources, seeds and will be happy to answer any gardening or soil health questions you may have.
