A Successful 2021 Gardening Season

The RV Area Community Gardens was blessed with a successful 2021 gardening season.  A big thank you to everyone who helped to the make the year a great one.  Following are the highlights.

 
​The number of gardeners increased from 26 to 32 family units..

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​​The Junior Gardeners program had 4 students ages 11 to 15 which is up from 3 in 2020.

​The Busy Bees Garden Club was organized and had 18 children ages 2 to 10 participating in the program.

​Four successful brat frys, a plant sale, a caramel apple sale and donations brought in enough money to build a picnic / shade shelter on the property.  The shelter was started in September with the frame and due to supply issues with the trusses was finished in the warm days of early December.

​A demonstration Enabling Garden was developed to illustrate how raised beds of various containers found around a home could be used to enable people with limited mobility and other issues to garden and raise their own produce
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​Over 1300 lbs of produce was donated to the Spring Green Community Food Pantry which serves all of the RV School District.  An unknown amount of produce was picked up from the kiosk by local people.  Produce was also donated to The Meadows Assisted Living and Memory Care facility in Spring Green.

A long tunnel was erected at the Gardens and was used to successfully grow tomatoes.

​Lake Redstone Garden Club visted the Gardens twice.  The July visit was cut short by a storm.  The August visit followed a storm the night before.

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​RVHS Conservation Science classes visited the Gardens June 1 and 3.

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The Busy Bees Garden Club received a $500 grant from the Spring Green Arts Coaltion (now River Valley Arts) for arts and crafts activities related to gardening.  The grant included the construction of a picnic table and 2 leopold benches that were painted by the children.  They add a brightness and sense of fun to the Gardens.

In May the Gardens received a Sauk County Pollinator Grant of native pollinator plants funded by Sauk County and the Ho Chunk Nation.   The purpose of the grant is to encourage home gardeners to include native plants in their home gardens 

​In late July all gardeners, volunteers, student gardeners, and Busy Bee families were invited to a Garden picnic.  A good time was had by all.

Seven garden plots were planted as nursery beds  for the 2022 plant sale.  The Gardens plants have been culled or divided.  Several local gardeners have also donated plants for the nursery beds.  The plant sale is scheduled for May 14, 2022.

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