By Dan Domsic
Many hands were at work at the Fishes Community Garden last year, and starting Saturday, gardeners will have the opportunity to work with even more space.
Located at the Holy Family Episcopal Church, 11445 Fishers Pointe Blvd., the garden will have 30 5-foot by 22-foot plots for anyone in the community to plant on at $20 per plot.
“If someone is more inexperienced and would rather garden a smaller area, we can do that for them as well,” Joel Bruns, a member of the Fishers Community Garden, said.
Excess produce is donated to the “Come-To-Me” Food Pantry at Fishers United Methodist Church, according to garden member Beth Murphy.
Bruns said 600 pounds of produce was donated to the food pantry, and the Fishers Community Garden’s goal for this year is 1,000 pounds.
“It’s very gratifying to me also, I guess, that I knew that what I could not eat or share with anybody else was going to a food pantry,” Murphy said. “That was really my absolute selling point of putting that garden in, that I knew that there wasn’t going to be waste.”
Murphy said individuals and groups, such as a local Boy Scout troop, tend the plots.
“I think it gives people the opportunity to know exactly where their food is coming from, to understand what goes into growing food,” Murphy said. “It’s a great educational opportunity. It’s a great opportunity to have great, fresh produce.”
She said a variety of foods get planted, and everyone’s personalities shine through the gardening.
When some gardeners finish up with their plots for the day, they’ll lend a hand to others that might be struggling, giving everyone a chance to meet and get to know others from all walks of life, Murphy said.
This Saturday is Fishers Community Garden’s kick-off. Future gardeners can expect a presentation from a future master gardener, James Keith, on how to prepare a garden, sign-up for plots and get help getting started from volunteers. It starts at 10 a.m.