Do you have a green thumb, but no place to garden?
Several area residents have begun an initiative that could mean starting a community garden here in Stoughton.
The first step is a public meeting, according to Pat Lund, a member of the Pleasant Springs Garden Club and one of the local residents interested in pursuing the initiative,
The meeting will be held Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Stoughton Area Senior Center annex.
Via that meeting, Lund says she hopes to gauge interest and generate ideas regarding the possibility of growing Stoughton's first community garden.
The idea for a community garden surfaced earlier this springwhen Lund and a few others were discussing the benefits of a community garden for those who'd lost their job.
"It came up in the context of it would be a really wonderful thing to have this season for people out of work who might have time on their hands - they could have benefitted from something like that and then taken the bounty of the harvest," said Lund.
Although too late in the season to start doing anything for this year, Lund said the idea stuck with her.
"When I'd go to the Madison Farmer's Market, I noticed all the different vendors - one of them being a group called Fitchburg Fields.
"I noticed they had a sign out that they were looking for volunteers ... my impression was that they had more work than people. So that was another bang on my psyche."
Fitchburg Fields is a project focusing on teaching small-scale, organic agriculture and sustainable living on 250 acres in Fitchburg.
While not dreaming quite that big just yet, Lund said the first step is to get land and a water supply.
"I called the City and talked with (Stoughton Parks and Recreation Director) Tom Lynch ... he said it's (the concept of a community garden) been done off and on throughout the years and that we'd have the possibility of a lot, but no water.
"There was not much support or commitment - if we had a lot and water we could turn the ground over and get going."
Lund said she did make other calls, resulting in some possible leads but nothing firm yet. For example, the Pleasant Springs Town Hall is situated on five acres and they do have water, but, as Lund pointed out, the idea is to have the garden located in a central location in Stoughton for ease of access.
There has even been talk about approaching the Stoughton Area School District about land near the former Yahara Elementary School. Right now, though, Lund and others are hoping the Sept. 9 meeting will bring more people interested in acting.
"We're at the beginning, in the exploratory stage," said Lund. "I don't know even if there is a critical mass of people willing or interested ... I don't want to just dabble at this for a year and then have it die."
Lund's idea in a sense is already being done, but on a much smaller scale.
Currently, United Methodist Church of Stoughton offers some land for parishioners (and a handful of others) to garden on, but plot space is small and usually fills up quickly.
Stoughton is not alone in its desire to turn over its proverbial roots. Followed by Fitchburg and even Janesville, Sun Prairie has had a community garden for about 10 years, primarily through volunteer members of its garden club.
Madison has several smaller, neighborhood-focused community gardens focused more as a means to supplement the food pantries.
That probably wouldn't be Stoughton's focus. Lund said she's been talking with Ruth Fortney, who's actively involved with Stoughton's food pantry.
"She said many farmers and people who grow in their backyards already bring extra vegetables and other fresh produce to the food pantry," Lund said.
So what does she want this garden to be?
"I think what I'm envisioning is there are people who live in apartments and condos and even seniors who still live at home, but maybe the idea of taking on their own garden is too much for them," said Lund. "But maybe collaboratively it is something they could do.
"It's also a social outlet," Lund said. "And maybe people will grow their own produce and take the bounty, or perhaps there are those willing to bring extras to the co-op or the Stoughton Farmer's Market."
Mostly though, Lund is hoping the meeting will provide a platform for ideas and conversations that will lead them to land, water and volunteers - and maybe even some funding.
She is looking into some resources that could be available through the Community Action Coalition for support as well.
"I'm hoping other groups and people will get involved and help shape what this community garden ought to be for Stoughton," she said. "And who knows, maybe a little publicity and someone will donate a hunk of land because they also feel this is something that should be explored."
For more information on the community garden project - or if you have ideas or resources you'd like to share, contact Lund at 873-9446.
