People set out plants in the Mike O’Neal Community Garden at the Harrison County Health Department. The garden grows vegetables for local organizations. Residents are also invited to put out their own garden plots.
The Harrison County Health Department’s community garden will be entering its second season providing gardening opportunities and growing fresh vegetables for local residents.
Volunteers met at the Mike O’Neal Memorial Garden last Thursday evening to begin planting vegetables that will provide a healthy staple for local diets.
“We have had good response from the volunteers and have gotten great feedback from the community,” said Sarah Linthacum, who coordinates the gardening project for the health department.
The memorial garden, named for the late health department administrator Mike O’Neal, is located on a plot of land on a hill west of the health department office on Highway 136 in South Bethany.
The health department received a grant from the state’s Chronic Disease Program to establish the garden. The grant’s purpose is to help local communities across the state to fight chronic diseases by promoting healthy diets, exercise and eliminating unhealthy habits such as smoking.
The community garden’s goal is “to help people to have a garden to be able to eat fresh produce,” Linthacum said.
The O’Neal garden has a large 4,000-square-foot section that grows vegetables for the Harrison County Food Pantry and Second Harvest of St. Joseph. The garden also has 15 plots for individuals to plant their own gardens.
Second Harvest provided the health department with gardening tools to help local residents plant their own vegetables.
Last year, the garden produced about 200 pounds of produce for the Bethany Multipurpose Center and local group homes.
Linthacum said the community garden receives help from several local businesses and individuals to prepare the plots.
Cliff Addison of Bethany, for instance, breaks the ground each spring for the garden.
Bullseye Trading provides free tillers for the garden plots. The garden has also received grants from Hy-Vee and another $5,000 state grant to purchase irrigation equipment. Local landscaper Corey Nichols has been installing the irrigation system.
Linthacum said local residents are welcome to establish their own gardens at the health department. They are asked to assist in planting and maintaining the community garden.
“All they need to do is do something for the community,” she said.
For information about planting your own garden, contact Linthacum at 660-425-6324.