Community Garden
At the initiative of several residents of Churchill's Grove, volunteers have created a Community Garden. The Garden is on a privately-owned lot at 995 N. Main St., adjacent to the southern boundary of Churchill's Grove. The organizers have received funding from a program of the City of Rockford Human Services Department, the Community Services Block Grant - ARRA, and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Volunteer
Gardeners are needed!!
Can you spare an hour once a week or so to do watering, etc.?
Click here to send Carolyn Cadigan an e-mail to join the crew!
If you have questions, call Carolyn at 815-979-4047.
Thanks for your support!!
Special thanks are due to Mr. John Fridh, who has donated the use of his property for the garden, to Tyler Smith, of Tyler's Landscaping, who contributed materials and personnel to the construction of the beds, and to the Law Firm of Reese & Reese, which is donating the water to be used in the garden.
The purpose of the community garden is to promote healthy eating, to encourage city beautification, and to provide an opportunity for you to get to know your neighbors. Support and training for gardeners will be available through the University of Illinois Extension Service, so you can get involved even if you've never gardened before. The grant program is also designed so that a portion of the crops from the garden will benefit local food pantries.
In our first year, 2010, an average of 19 people a month helped to maintain the garden. We were able to donate 150 lbs. of produce to local food pantries and about 300 lbs. was used by neighbors in need as well as the regular gardeners.
The garden features a variety of vegetables and flowers and is a colorful and inviting addition to the southern approach to the Grove. This summer we are planting beets, butternut squash, carrots, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, green beans, wide variety of herbs, lettuce, okra, onions, potatoes, purple bush beans, radishes, rainbow peppers, raspberries, spinach, strawberries, sugar snap peas, summer squash, sunflowers, swiss chard, tomatoes big & small, turnips, and zucchini.
We have some very talented neighbors who have been designated advisors to the garden and "go-to" people for specific areas:
We have some very talented neighbors who have been designated advisors to the garden and "go-to" people for specific areas:
*Shelley & Bruce Martin are the garden organizers and directors.
* Mary Spindler files our monthly reports to the City’s Human Services Office.
* Carolyn Cadigan is our Communications Specialist, keeping us informed about workdays and garden needs. Contact her at carolyncadigan@gmail.com to be included in her email bulletins.
* Diane Koch is our Herb Specialist, responsible for designing and planting the herb beds.
* Joan Brazle, Pat Knudsen, Bruce & Shelley Martin are our Vegetable Specialists.
* Catherine Rennert and Shelley Martin procured and planted the perrenials in the berms that grace the front of the garden.
* Bruce Martin is our Irrigation Specialist.
* Catherine Rennert has been primarily responsible for getting produce to the local food pantries.
An interactive calendar has been created for volunteers to sign up to water, weed, etc. Please see the link on this page, above, to view and add to the calendar.
The grant requires us to keep a log of hours worked. Volunteers must report hours worked to Mary Spindler at marykspin@aol.com or 815-968-6020.