ESCANABA -- You don't need a green thumb to save a little green cash this summer. For a $25 rental fee, you can get a 30 x 30 plot of land in Escanaba’s Community Gardens.It's a small price to pay for fresh produce.
“Try growing your own vegetables,” explains Julie Moberg, Extension Educator at MSU Extension. “Your basic vegetables, like your tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans, are very easy to grow. And it's a nice way to cut back on that food budget."
Instead of weekly trips to the supermarket, gardener Bonnie McDonough picked up a packet of seeds. It'll take a few weeks for her to see her hard work sprout, but to her, it's worth it.
“As far as saving money, it saves money,” said McDonough. “But it’s just the joy of being able to pick your own. That’s the most that we really enjoy doing. And I enjoy the people that are here at the garden."
It's the third year that she's planted at the Community Gardens. And it's especially convenient since she only lives two blocks away.
“Well, we just enjoy working in a garden, and we don't have any room in our yard,” McDonough said. “It’s a lot of shade trees. And we tried planting a garden in there years ago. We're retired now so we have the time to do it and we enjoy it."
There are 48 rental plots and a limit of two plots per household.
Community Gardens is owned by the city of Escanaba but is managed by MSU extension. If you, too, want to grow your own flowers or annual vegetables, you can sign up for a plot and plant until planting season ends on October 15.
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