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How does your garden grow?

I am not necessarily a gardener. Actually, I am better at raising chickens than starting plants from seeds. So, if the Janesville City Council decides to follow Madison's lead and allow four hens per household, I would totally be all over that.

However, I do enjoy vegetables, and I believe that a garden can help a neighborhood grow. When I heard Kay Deupree's idea for a community garden in Janesville's Fourth Ward, I thought it was a smashing idea.

The site is a vacant city-owned lot directly adjacent to Wilson School on Rockport Road. It overlooks Monterey Stadium. The Neighborhood Action Team is clearing the brush and weeds and create raised beds for the garden.

The School District of Janesville reports that 95.5% of students at Wilson School received free or reduced lunch last school year. To me, that's a staggering number of students in low income households, and it also shows that this garden would benefit the neighborhood.

The amount of kids on free or reduced lunch resonates with me, because when I was in elementary school I received free lunch. But living on a farm with a large garden, I never went hungry.

Summer school students at Wilson will create the sign for the garden. The UW-Extension is providing plants, tools and expertise. Marling Lumber is giving a discount on lumber for the beds. Leaflan Compost in Beloit is providing compost for the beds.

There are some people who say this won't work. The majority of neighbors are in favor of the garden. Plus, one of the resources is Anna Kokity, who organized the Merrill Park Community Garden in Beloit. That garden is also on city-owned land in a low income neighborhood. The City of Beloit was going to sell it to a developer to create apartments, but the garden is so successful that they haven't.

There is a clean-up day for the lot on Saturday, May 17th. You're more than welcome to join in, or stop by the site sometime and check the garden's progress.