By Sarah Cormier
C & G Staff Writer

MOUNT CLEMENS — Mount Clemens community activists are eager to see what the community garden that was started in the city last year grows into this spring.

In fact, an organizational meeting for locals interested in getting involved in the garden was held on Feb. 24 at the Cairns Community Center, which is near where the garden is located in the 200 block of North Walnut. 

At the meeting, people showed up interested in either having a plot in the city’s community garden or learning about how to start their own.

“A lot of people want a garden, but have nowhere to begin,” explained Ryan Rowinski, a Mount Clemens resident interested in gardening that helped put together the community garden last year.

Bonnie McInerney, community development director for Mount Clemens, said four or five residents want to maintain their own plot, and three or four organizations also want to get involved. McInerney said last year it “generated a lot of interest.”

“I think for the first year, it went pretty well,” she said.

This year, the layout of the garden will change slightly. At the meeting, Rowinski had a sketch already drawn of how he’d like the garden to be laid out. On one side there will be the individual community plots, which are 5-by-15 feet, then a common area, where more vegetables are grown.

The common area is the newest addition to the garden. Rowinski said he really wants to make sure that the garden flourishes in its second year. 

“We are going to set it up to get as much food as we can from the plots we have,” he said. “I guess the bottom line is, we ain’t messing around this year.”

The first work day for the garden will be on April 24, when those who attend will do things such as installing plumbing and reservoir tanks, building beds for some of the plants and cultivating the plots. May 1 will be a planting day. Then on May 22, there will be a workshop for people interested in weeding, pruning and trellising. On June 26 there will be a harvesting training day and on Aug. 7 a harvest celebration. Rowinski said that the city is also aiming to have a professional at the community garden at least once a month to hold workshops or help out gardeners.

For more information about being involved in the community garden, call the Community Development office at (586) 469-6818.

You can reach Staff Writer Sarah Cormier at scormier@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1095.