November 16, 2020 at 12:07 p.m.
Nourishing our community: Northwoods Community Garden to offer organic gardening space, permaculture workshops next spring
Nourishing our community: Northwoods Community Garden to offer organic gardening space, permaculture workshops next spring
By Stephanie Kuski-
Come spring 2021, 48 garden plots measuring 10 by 20 feet will be available to rent for those interested in growing their own organic produce.
Garden manager and vice president Mike Haasl said the group first began conceptualizing the community garden back in March and has since cultivated a thoughtful board of directors who have approached numerous community organizations and businesses interested in supporting the project.
"Everyone was excited and on board," Haasl said, "and it just flourished from there."
ArtStart is NCG's fiscal sponsor, supporting the garden as they raise preliminary funds. ArtStart's partnership also offers many exciting opportunities down the road such as featuring community art installations and children's art programming at the garden.
The NCG is also partnering with Nicolet College to offer educational and cultural opportunities including non-credit permaculture and homesteading workshops. These partnerships will also allow the garden to be tied into Project North and the Sustainability Fair in addition to other community events.
"I see this garden as being a hub for a lot of things, where a lot of different groups can be tied together and interconnect," Haasl explained. "Since it's open to the public, it will be a place for lots of people to come take classes and walk around, learn about permaculture and gardening."
In addition, other community partners including Oneida County UW-Extension, Rhinelander Kiwanis, Rhinelander Rotary Club, GFWC Rhinelander Woman's Club, Jelinek Well Drilling, Musson Brothers, Hanson's Garden Village, the City of Rhinelander and several private donors have expressed interest in supporting the new community garden.
This will actually be Rhinelander's first community garden that will rent plots for gardeners to grow their own produce. The Rhinelander Area Community Garden on Thayer Street differs since all the produce grown there benefits clients of the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry.
Plots located on the college's campus off Highway G to the south of Rhinelander will cost $40 annually. Once gardeners have a plot, they can renew each year as long as they're in good standing, Haasl said, and once all of the plots are reserved, a waiting list will be maintained by garden organizers.
The biggest rule, Haasl noted, will be that all gardeners must abide by organic gardening practices in which all fertilizers, pesticides and other products used in the garden must be certified organic at a minimum. While this eliminates the use of many commercial products, Haasl said garden organizers can recommend numerous organic alternatives that benefit both the grower and the garden itself.
"From the get-go, we wanted this garden to be a place to grow healthy food for the community," Haasl said. "It's an opportunity to teach people how to grow organically and to see that they can have healthy, happy food without using all the toxic stuff."
In addition to providing a space for those without to grow their own food, Haasl noted the garden will also be a demonstration space for growers to learn about permaculture practices.
"Permaculture is just a way of living closer to Mother Nature and using natural processes to achieve our goals in a landscape," Haasl explained. "Commercial agriculture requires a lot of inputs - a lot of pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides and fungicides - while a permaculture system encourages diversity of life, both the plant life and the soil and animal life. It encourages systems that interrelate and support one another."
"We're a large community that really needs a place for people to garden," he continued, "and then being able to show all of these permaculture practices at the same time... it just allows us to spread the idea of permaculture."
Tabitha Bennish, a local pharmacist/nutritionist, market gardener, president of the Hodag Farmers Market and NCG board member, also pointed to benefits local, organic produce offers regardless of one's personal interest in gardening.
"Local produce does tend to be more nutritionally beneficial because as soon as you pick produce, those flavors and nutrients start to break down," Bennish explained. "So if it's being shipped from Mexico, by the time you reach it, it has already lost tons of nutritional value and flavor value."
"So if you're growing something locally... if you're picking and eating it the same day or within that same week, it has more nutritional value which can then lead to more healthy individuals who feel better," she continued, "and it's all around great for society in that aspect."
Bennish also noted that growing one's own food can empower individuals to become more interested in their diet and lifestyle as a preventative measure to many diseases which plague our Western society.
"Unfortunately, many Americans - especially us up here in the Northwoods - have what's called the 'SAD diet,' which stands for Standard American Diet, where we definitely do not get enough fruits and veggies in our daily consumption," Bennish explained. "So hopefully people can be educated in a fun, enjoyable manner through the garden and learn more about that information so that it can be preventative. It's very cyclical... because eating in a healthy manner now will lead to lower healthcare costs later, and that benefits everyone in society."
Bennish said educating the community about local growing is like showing someone how to fish as opposed to just giving them a fish, and for that reason, the garden has the potential to meaningfully impact the livelihood of Northwoods residents for years to come.
"What you put in your body really does affect you not just physically, but mentally as well," she added. "Consuming too many processed foods and sugar has shown to decrease mental health."
Bennish added the group hopes to also offer therapeutic gardens that focus on stress relief and anti-anxiety measures to support community members coping with mental illness. In this way, the potential in future community events and programs offered at the NGC is limitless.
"What makes the garden so special is the fact that I really do think it is bringing so many different great aspects and already amazing organizations together," Bennish said. "It provides so much potential for bringing more education and cultural awareness."
Although the garden won't officially open until next spring, garden organizers are doing as much as they can in the meantime, including collecting donations to fund their efforts.
Haasl said the garden has already received donations from the GFWC Rhinelander Woman's Club, Kiwanis and a number of individual donors.
In addition, the fundraising committee is also taking part in a month-long "Grow the Garden" crowdfunding campaign via SeedMoney.org to raise funds for preliminary garden costs, including building a fence around the garden and installing ADA-compliant raised garden beds.
Those interested in donating to the "Grow the Garden" SeedMoney.org campaign are encouraged to donate now through Dec. 15 via the link https://donate.seedmoney.org/4792/northwoods-community-garden-and-permaculture-training-center. That link is also available on the Northwoods Community Garden Facebook page.
SeedMoney.org is offering 315 grants totaling over $55,000 to garden projects worldwide, so every dollar donated through the SeedMoney campaign increases NCG's potential to receive matching grants.
Those interested in getting involved with the garden to help with fundraising, construction, teaching, etc. are encouraged to reach out to garden organizers via their Facebook page. Volunteering opportunities, donations, plot requests and other inquiries can also be emailed to [email protected].
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