La Grange Community Garden Makes Organic Produce Accessible to All

Beth Brace wants everyone in La Grange to know what fresh organic produce tastes like—and now they’ll have their chance.

Residents will be able to grow their own fruits and veggies in one of 20 new community garden plots in Denning Park. Anything that’s extra will go to area food pantries.

Brace, a master gardener with the University of Illinois Extension, partnered with Claudia Galla and the Park District of La Grange on the project, which was several years in the making. She got the idea as she learned more about the movement spreading across the U.S. away from highly processed food and toward more homegrown produce.

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“It just kind of struck a chord with me because we don’t have any (community gardens) in La Grange,” she said.

Each four-by-eight foot plot, which was built as part of an Eagle Scout project and sells for $50, is above ground and contains 12-inches of an organic soil mixture. All fruits, vegetables and herbs are welcome, but everything must be edible—so no decorative flowers.

“We want (gardeners) to know that they’re basically growing in virgin soil, so produce will be highly edible for food consumption,” she said.

And even though Brace is a master gardener, you needn’t be an expert to dabble in the garden. For one thing, the Park District will take care of watering the plots by quenching the plants’ thirst three times a week. Two plots will also be reserved for veterans and people with disabilities.

Bins will be set up on the outskirts of the garden to collect overflow from the crops that will then be sent to area pantries. Each plot is large enough to grow produce for a family of six.

Eventually the team hopes to have community plots in parks throughout La Grange so they’ll be close enough function almost as an annex to residents’ backyards.

Although it’s late in this year’s growing season, Brace said interested gardeners are welcome to buy a plot now and plant it with established tomatoes, pumpkins, peppers and other late-harvest produce.

And next spring, she hopes residents will start the growing season strong.

“Naperville and Lisle have community gardens,” Brace said. “Finally La Grange has got theirs.”

For more information on the garden, call the Park District of La Grange at 708-352-1762.