By Jordan Studer
news@wbcowqel.com
As the sun shone brightly Wednesday morning, plants peeked out of the new senior garden at Crawford County Council on Aging during the ribbon cutting ceremony.
The senior garden possesses a wide variety of plants. Before the ribbon cutting, Council on Aging Activities Director Candy Yocum gave the community a tour of the garden beds. Some of the plants the gardens hold are sugar snap peas, bell peppers, egg plants, zucchini, squash, tomato plants, onions, and more.
Yocum explained that fundraisers were held for the activities committee. A portion of the money was then used to buy the raised garden beds. Yocum emphasized that the community played a large part in helping the garden come to fruition.
Students from Pioneer Career and Technology Center provided a huge helping hand to the project by aiding in the installation of the raised garden beds. Local businesses provided the donation of all of the plants imbedded in the garden and many other individuals helped beautify the garden.
As Yocum looked over the new garden, she reflected on the goal Council on Aging had for the senior garden when they began dreaming of what it could become.
“The main purpose of this area was to give seniors a place where they can garden. A lot of seniors live in apartments or don’t have the access to it. Also, some seniors don’t have the ability to garden anymore like they used to, so we also will be providing free produce at the center as we harvest,” Yocum described.
As of right now, Council on Aging intends to keep the senior garden running during the fall as well. Yocum said she was excited to find different plants to grow during that time. She planned on having a large part of managing the garden, but her goal is to get the community involved.
“I’m going to help manage it. Then I also have scheduled a couple times a month gardening time where I’ll be out here and invited seniors throughout the community to come help garden,” Yocum explained.
The Council on Aging credited the following businesses and individuals for helping in the process of constructing the senior garden: Pioneer Career and Technology Center students, Green Patch Organics, Carmar Gardens, Oberlander’s Tree and Landscape Service, Walmart, Kennedy Landscaping, Wayne Erwin, and Mike Browning.