October 28, 2019
The 2019 growing season for The Bellevue Hospital's Community Garden was a success thanks to the help of the Bellevue High School's Teen Leadership Class and several volunteers throughout the course of the season. Even though the weather was variable this year, the garden still yielded good results.
Since its start in 2011, over five tons of produce has been harvested from the Community Garden, with 802 pounds of fruits and vegetables produced in 2019 alone.
All produce grown in the garden is donated to Bellevue Fish and Loaves and Clyde Backdoor Food Pantries to help feed the hungry in both communities.
The Community Garden began as a small 12 x 24 foot square space on the east side of The Bellevue Hospital's campus and has since grown into an estimated 1,000 square foot area. The gardens will continue into 2020, but with a different focus. The garden committee has decided not to plant the low-land (in-ground) garden, and rather maintain the garden boxes and the herb garden. With more time and focus on the garden boxes, our hope is the plants in the boxes will grow more aggressively than in previous years. I am looking forward to an exciting growing season next year.
Once again I would like to extend my heart-felt THANKS to the volunteers that make this garden possible. In 2019, volunteers contributed nearly 400 hours to planting, weeding and harvesting to ensure the garden's success.
Patti Keller, RD, LD, CDE