Garden Not Merely Growing Vegetables Project Was Created To Provide Education And Research
Put to rest for the winter after its first year, the Sawtooth Community Garden Project near Ketchum is producing a lot more than just vegetables.
“The project was created to provide public education and research in sustainable, organic vegetable and flower gardening, landscaping and building practices,” executive director Michel Martel said.
As a non-profit organization, the five-acre garden relies on grants, fund-raising and revenue from its market and communal produce.
Next summer, three University of Idaho student interns will work on a research project.
If enough money can be raised, four troubled local teens will be hired for a 10-week training program that could help them land jobs as landscapers.
“The horticultural benefits go far beyond getting a paycheck,” Martel said.
During their first year, Martel and assistant director Karen Sherrerd developed a pilot children’s workshop showing them the connection between food, ecology and the community.
People can grow their own vegetables in the community gardens and, glean information about the best growing methods for the Wood River Valley.
Future plans include demonstration gardens: an alpine garden and evergreen forest, a streamside garden replete with wetlands, and a sagebrush meadow and hillside garden.
Eventually, Martel said, an admission fee may be charged to view the botanical gardens and help support the program.
Visitors also can learn about innovative building techniques. The caretaker’s cottage is built with recycled and non-toxic materials, and it uses a solar power system, composting toilets and a system that recycles water for irrigation.
“Basically people can come window-shopping here,” Sherrerd said.
The gardens got off the ground with the donation of land by the Global Environmental Project Institute and grants from the Environmental Resource Center and the Idaho Department of Water Resources.
It needs another $35,000 in donations to carry out its plans for the new year.