Those interested in leasing a plot of land for gardening in Wellman can get more information at tonight’s meeting. The meeting hosted by the Iowa Mennonite FFA will go over the process for leasing a 10 by 12 foot plot and the food preservation workshops being held this summer. The community garden is located on a piece of donated land across from the Wellman YMCA.

The community garden was started by a group of community members from local churches and volunteers at the food shelf in Wellman. Initially helping with clean-up at the field, IMS’s FFA became more involved when they received grant money from the National FFA organization to generate newsletters and hold workshops related to growing produce.

According to FFA Advisor at IMS Karen Van De Walle, they take care of the big things like tilling in the spring and plowing under in the fall. She adds it costs $10 to lease a plot, and anyone who does is asked to spend a few hours each week maintaining their garden.

A large portion of the food grown is donated to Asbury United Methodist Church and Goodwin Senior Dining. She says this year they hope to grow, for personal use or to be donated, 1,500 pounds of produce.