by Catherine Haug, Sept 8, 2014 (photo, below, by Sally Finneran/ Bigfork Eagle, used with permission)
Bigfork/Ferndale Community Garden, 2014
The garden is located next to St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, near the corner of Hwy 209 and South Ferndale Road in Ferndale. ESP helped start the garden in 2007, and a member of our core team – Mona Rae Tuhy – is the Master Gardener. This project has come a long way since its humble beginnings, with seventy-two 4X4 Square Foot Gardening plots actively maintained (2).
Participating in the community has several benefits; you can:
- Grow your own food or flowers;
- Grow food for the Bigfork Food Pantry (see below for more);
- Participate in the gardening community that forms naturally between the members, making new friends;
- Help less experienced gardeners or get help from more experienced gardeners.
If you are interested in buying a plot for next year, contact Garden Chairperson Michelle Patterson (406-837-0982) or Master Gardener MonaRae Tuhy (406-837-9979). Plots cost $15 for the season if purchased before June 1, 2015; after that date, the price is $20.
See also related article in the Bigfork Eagle, by Sally Finneran: Community garden thrives in Ferndale (1)
Bigfork/Ferndale Community Garden and Bigfork Food Pantry
The Bigfork/Ferndale Community Garden at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Ferndale actively dedicates a percentage of the garden plots to our local food bank. When “you purchase a plot, you commit to growing another plot for the Food Pantry, and also two hours a month to the overall garden, in addition to maintaining your own plot” (1). Additionally, unpaid-for plots are maintained by Michelle Patterson (Chairperson) and MonaRae Tuhy (Master Gardener) for the Bigfork Food Pantry (3). You can do this too with the surplus from your own garden!
See also my related post: Sharing your garden’s bounty with local food pantry.
References:
- Bigfork Eagle, July 30, 2014 edition, Growing Community; Community garden thrives in Ferndale, by Sally Finneran
- Square Foot Gardening Foundation: squarefootgardening.org