Fairfield Community Garden to open in mid-March

FAIRFIELD – The Fairfield Community Garden is gearing up for its second year of operation after a very successful first year in 2024.

The garden’s director, Barbara Rainbow, said the garden, located in OB Nelson Park on the south side of Fairfield, will once again have 36 plots available to lease.

“We’re already about two-thirds full, and we haven’t promoted it yet,” Rainbow said.

The garden plans to open in mid-March, about a month earlier than it opened last year to accommodate those gardeners who wish to plant cool-season crops. Some of the most common cool-season vegetables include cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, peas and spinach.

“You can plant those about two weeks before the last frost because those plants can handle a light frost,” Rainbow said.

One of the new features this year will be a members-only Facebook group. The community garden has also added four official gardeners who will serve as a facilitator for each quadrant of the garden. Those four facilitators are Jill Hebert, Monica Hayward, Mary Argast and Trish Fenton. Rainbow said the community garden will hold workshops again like it did last year, and a potluck party.

“We want to facilitate a sense of belonging in the garden,” she said.

Rainbow said she wanted the public to know that the membership fee has risen from $50 to $60, to ensure the community garden has enough money to cover the water bill. That fee goes toward paying for maintenance of the garden, organic straw for mulching, organic pest control, use of the tool library in the shed, use of the heavy-duty trellises, and access to the monthly workshops.

Those interested in learning more about the community garden or leasing a plot should visit the group’s website at fairfield-community-garden.org.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

  Buy Photo