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Ground Breaking For 'Active' Community Garden

Colleen Connelly

The Twin Cities is about to get a new community fruit and vegetable garden.

Groundbreaking for the West Bloomington Active Garden on Illinois Street will take place Saturday. Colleen Connelly, one of the project's coordinators, says the garden will serve as a learning tool for children and youth.

"The word active implies this is not just a place for people to get fresh fruit and veggies,  but it's also going to act as a platform for learning about the environment, learning about sustainability and healthy living," Connelly said.

Connelly says youth from the city's Boys and Girls Clubs will work in the Active Garden. There are also plans to eventually provide lessons for children from Head Start and Youth Builder as well.

"We will be planting our berry bushes and we will also be starting raised beds, two of which will be for the Boys and Girls Clubs where they can start those learning programs and then the food will go directly to the Boys and Girls Clubs," Connelly added.

In addition to a variety of strawberry, blueberry and raspberry bushes, the Active Garden will provide plots for the students  as well as adults in the community to cultivate vegetables. The garden will eventually include fruit and nut trees, Connelly said. 
 

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