Bonduel hoping to grow 1st community garden

The healthy food and neighborly spirit of a community garden could be coming soon to Bonduel.

Village officials and gardening enthusiasts are asking Bonduel residents if they would be interested in joining what would be the village’s first community garden.

Such a concept involves dividing a large open area into small individual gardens where people can raise their own fruits and vegetables while sharing the gardening experience with others.

The concept has yielded successful gardens in Shawano and Gresham, and proponents in Bonduel hope it will find strong support there, too.

A public meeting is planned Monday night to gauge interest within the community.

Todd Lorbiecki, the village’s municipal operations director, said that if enough people want to participate, the village could identify a location and get the garden started this spring and summer.

“If there’s a good show of interest, we could get this going,” he said.

In Shawano, one community garden created more than 10 years ago at Zion Lutheran Church has grown steadily from 21 plots to about 130 plots.

The concept is popular with apartment dwellers and others who have little space for gardening around their homes. It also attracts participants who want to spend time working among other gardeners, either to pick up helpful tips or just to make new acquaintances.

Jamie Patton, head of the University of Wisconsin-Extension in Shawano County, said a community garden combines healthy food with social interaction and physical exercise.

“You get out, and you get the sunshine and the fresh air,” she said. “It’s very therapeutic.”

Patton plans to attend Monday’s meeting in Bonduel to offer encouragement and guidance to those trying to plant the seeds for a new community garden.

Bridgett Dingeldein, who is one of the Bonduel residents pushing the idea, said she was inspired by a couple of relatives she saw enjoying the healthy benefits of growing their own food. She would like to see more people in Bonduel eating better by raising fresh fruits and vegetables.

Dingeldein said she, too, grows a small garden outside her house, raising fresh tomatoes, asparagus, carrots and other food for her family.

“It makes us more conscious to eat healthier,” she said. “We don’t buy as much of the snacky junk food any more.”

Under a typical community garden arrangement, participants pay a nominal fee of $10 a year or less to rent their share of the community garden. Such details have not been sorted out yet in Bonduel, as proponents first want to see whether there is enough interest to move forward.

Lorbiecki said he is certain the village could find a good location for a garden, and also would make water available for participants to keep their gardens irrigated. Although the investment is not likely to be significant, he said, officials want to make sure the garden is well-organized.

“I think it’s a very good thing for the village,” he said. “To do it right, I think we want it to be a good start-up.”