Students on Idaho State University’s Idaho Falls campus will soon have the opportunity to take part in multiple Idaho Falls community gardens, an opportunity Kristi Appelhans, Idaho Falls Community Garden Association (IFCGA) president, considers great on multiple levels.
According to Appelhans, the IFCGA is a 501c3 nonprofit organization in charge of three community gardens in Idaho Falls. The gardens are named after their respective locations: Rollandet, Westside and Eastside.
Registration for the 2013 season will be held Saturday, April 6 from 9 a.m. to noon, with doors opening at 8:50 a.m. The registration will take place at the Development Workshop Griffith Building, located at 2475 Leslie Avenue in Idaho Falls. Event planners encourage attendees to plan to attend the entire three hours of registration in order to “learn about the gardens, meet the other gardeners and register for a plot.”
Appelhans said it costs $40 to sign up for a garden plot, and $20 of that can go toward a new plot the following season if a gardener is in good standing with the association.
Seasons typically last six months and run from around April to October.
Appelhans said the benefits of joining a community garden are numerous, especially for college students who may be on limited budgets and living in situations with limited space.
“There are so many benefits, not least of which is you get to have a garden where you wouldn’t be able to otherwise,” Appelhans said. “And you get a community of other people who really love growing things and can give you advice on how to successfully grow things.”
She explained that multiple plot sizes are available to accommodate beginning gardeners as well as experienced growers. She said plot sizes range between 10’x10’ to 20’x30’.
“Gardeners in good standing have first dibs on their plot from previous years,” Appelhans said.
She said each gardener is expected to tend his or her plot and “contribute eight hours to common tasks” such as general lot beautification and maintenance.
Appelhans said the community garden environment and teamwork idea is beneficial to people of all ages but she believes college students can really benefit from it.
“I think the notion of community and being part of a productive community is appealing to everybody,” she said.
In addition to the community atmosphere, Appelhans said students and non-students alike can appreciate the benefits of consuming produce from their own gardens.
“It’s as fresh as it can be,” she said. “These are organic gardens so there is no danger of eating food that’s been sprayed with chemicals. I don’t think it gets any better than that.”
For ISU students on a budget, the community garden can be a financially smart move as well.
“Think about the cost of a pound of broccoli in the grocery store,” said Appelhans. “A packet of seeds costs $2.50 but you can plant 500 plants from that packet.”
She added that gardening can be a great way to decompress from the stress of work and school, as well as learn important life lessons.
“Things are not going to turn out exactly as you were told they would,” said Appelhans, explaining that gardening teaches skills for coping with similar life situations.
She said gardening also teaches “the value of patience and perseverance.”
“It’s a great place to grow,” she said. “In every sense of the word.”