Johnston's Community Garden Provides Fresh Produce, Brings People Together

Fresh produce has always been a staple to summertime meal planning.

But for some people the luxury of fresh produce isn't possible.

The Community Garden at in Johnston has been trying to ensure residents get their fill of fresh goodness for years.

Annie Temple and Valerie Nichols spent an hour in the hot July sun on Tuesday picking those veggies for transport across the street to the Food Pantry.

"We pick them clean," Nichols said of the garden. "Then we come back Saturday's to pick more."

The women are more than happy to spend a little time cutting out beans, squash and a variety of peppers from the garden that has been at the church for ten years.

Garden Beginnings
The green labor of love behind the white picket fence is a true community project.

Years ago, Shellie Dreibelbeis heard about a similar community garden and thought the idea was perfect for Johnston, Temple said.

"The church as huge sweeping lawns, so we went to Session to ask permission to create the garden," Nichols said of the garden's beginning. "In Matthew, it says 'if you feed someone hungry you feed me'."

Soon Driebelbeis' son Eric built raised beds for the garden as part of a Boy Scout project and the rest is history.

The garden continues to bring people from across the community together.

Each spring, after a wish list is posted for plants, around Mother's Day, the initial planting takes place in the garden.

Just this year, another group of boy scouts helped build a fence around the garden, Temple said.

Then a neighbor, Andy Christensen, donated manure to fertilize the garden, while church members spend Wednesday evenings pulling weeds and doing other maintenance to keep the garden in tip-top shape.

"It's just a community effort," she said. "We'd love to be bigger, better."

The hot, dry conditions haven't affected the garden too much this year.

Thanks in part to the rain barrels that Temple and Doug Darling constructed.

Any drop of moisture is collected for use in the garden.

Still, church custodian Meho Hasinic waters the garden every morning before his work at the church. Temple said.

A lack of rain isn't the only thing working agains the garden this year.

"The Japanese Beetles have been terrible," Nichols said. "We don't have deer but there are a few bunnies that like to eat here."

Giving Fresh Goodness
On Tuesday, Temple and Nichols loaded a van with a few boxes of beans, squash, cherry tomatoes and peppers to head to the Johnston Partnership Food Pantry, where Temple serves on the board.

"Clients are very appreciative," she said of the fresh produce."A couple of weeks ago we picked the garden and there was no other fresh produce at the pantry.

With what we picked we were able to feed about 20 families."

Gabe Pennequin, site manger of the partnership, said the pantry receives fresh produce on Tuesday's from the Des Moines Area Religious Council and the Des Moines Food Bank.

"We get a fair amount of people interested in the fresh produce," he said of clients.

However, the pantry is always looking for fresh produce from residents with too extra, Temple said.

How to help
Volunteer at the community garden by donating plants for the upcoming fall planting or come by to work in the garden at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. To arrange drop-offs or to volunteer at other times call the church at 276-2828. 

Drop off your extra garden produce at the Food Pantry at Johnston Partnership Place.