The community garden presence in America has a long standing history. We are thrilled to provide a space for folks to grow food and have a location within our city for this purpose! Community Gardens were originally created to provide an outlet for citizens to create a stronger home soil and build food security in areas that were otherwise not ideal for building within a city. Since COVID, there has been a resurgence in interest of families to sustainble grow food for their own homes. During COVID years, The Community’s Garden provided food security, food safety, safe physical distance in an outdoor setting and an opportunity to reconnect with neighbors. With an increased focus on sustainability, preserving and growing local food sources, it becomes incumbent upon every community and organization to do what they can to make our earth a better place. Community gardens can be many things, but at their essence they are a way to connect the residents of the community with nature and horticulture. In Sturgeon Bay we have provided community gardening opportunities but more than “just gardening” we created an outdoor laboratory for learning. We find families spend time together, unplugged. They experience how what we eat is directly related to how we feel. The learn, first hand, how sunshine, rain, wind, soil, water and wildlife work together to provide us with the building blocks of a healthy life. Visit us during the growing season, take a walk on paths throughout the garden and experience the growth. The Community’s Garden has two garden locations, one in Sister Bay and one in Sturgeon Bay, both located on Door County Medical Center (DCMC) campuses. At the inception of The Community’s Garden in 2020, conceptual design plans included the following features:
- Prayer Garden
- Accessible trails through cedar “forest/wetland” area with educational stops throughout
- Rain Garden
- Large pond with native marsh plantings aerated with a bog system
- Wildlife viewing area
- Areas for themed gardens
- Council ring
- Children’s garden
- Small greenhouse/educational building that will house a demonstration kitchen, space for starting seedlings, and classroom designed for interactive learning
- Formal perennial herb garden
- Theme gardens
- Demonstration gardens for others to showcase sustainable gardening methods
- Production gardens for use in hospital kitchens
- Outdoor sculptures
Activities that are occur during the growing season or plan to be in the future at the Community’s Garden include:
- Nutrition classes for children and families, which will include learning where food comes from, promotion of a physical activity (i.e. gardening), harvesting of food, hands-on cooking and canning classes, and utilizing foods when they are in season
- Gardening classes and volunteer opportunities
- Special activities for residents of the DCMC skilled nursing facility
- Physical therapy including horticultural therapy
Conceptual Drawing of Future Site Posibilities in Sturgeon Bay
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