By RICK A. RICHARDS
Indiana Correspondent

LA PORTE, Ind. — It’s not yet a trend, so call it a phenomenon; People’s Gardens are sprouting up all over Indiana – and, no, they not a throwback to the Cold War.

“People’s Gardens” is the name of an effort to plant public gardens, either at public buildings or in places where the public can participate in the planting and harvesting. Nicole Messacar, education coordinator for the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in La Porte, says the effort goes back to last summer when First Lady Michelle Obama used a corner of the White House lawn to plant a vegetable garden.

Obama said at the time that she hoped others would do the same thing and share what was grown with those in need. “We’ve all been encouraged to install a garden,” said Messacar.

The gardens being planted aren’t just for vegetables. The one outside the USDA office in La Porte is a combination rain garden that collects rainwater runoff for use in watering plants around the building and a pollinator garden to attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.

The increasing emphasis on People’s Gardens got a boost earlier this month when Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced they have been created in all 50 states, two U.S. territories and three foreign countries. In all, Vilsack said more than 400 gardens are in place across the country.

“Last year, I decided to visibly remind folks that gardening is at the front and center of what we do here at USDA,” said Vilsack. “To have a People’s Garden in every state is a tremendous achievement, and just one example of the dedication and commitment of all USDA employees in collaboration with their communities.”

Noelle Conklin, an office assistant at the La Porte office, has been involved with the People’s Garden project from the beginning. She said not only does the office get involved in providing information on various kinds of gardens, but she and Messacar helped plant a garden at Strieble Pond in Michigan City, Ind., and near the courthouse in La Porte.

“It is a lot of work, and we’re still not quite done with the one here at the office, but we think it’s a great thing to have,” said Conklin.
The garden, she said, has become a focal point of tours of the facility. School groups and other organizations visit the USDA office to learn about gardening, and now there is something to show them, she said.

For now, said Messacar, the plants are small, but by next year she expects they will have matured and created an environment that is attractive to pollinators.

“We have put in a lot of nectar-bearing plants, lots of flowering plants and as many varieties of other plants as we can,” she said.
She emphasized the gardens don’t have to be big. In fact, the one outside the La Porte office is barely a 10-foot circle.

Like those at the USDA office, Messacar encourages anyone who wants to plant a pollinator garden to use native plants. “You don’t want non-native plants in there because they tend to push out the native plants and they won’t attract as many pollinators,” she said.
And like any garden, said Conklin, the key to success is in weeding it.

Daniel Ford, executive director of the LaPorte County USDA office, said the pollinator and rain garden is a nice addition.
“This is the first year for it here, although the FSA has had them in the past,” said Ford. “It’s a concept that useful for Indiana and for a lot of other states.”

In announcing the People’s Garden milestone, Vilsack pointed out that last year there were only 124 in the country, yet they provided more than 34,000 pounds of produce for local charities.
To qualify as a People’s Garden, Vilsack said it must contain the following three components: Benefit the community by creating space for leisure or recreation for the public, provide a harvest to a local food bank or shelter, be wildlife friendly or a rain garden to absorb storm water runoff; be collaborative between volunteers, neighbors or organizations within the community; and use sustainable practices that nurture, maintain and protect the environment such as capturing rainwater, composting, mulching, using native species and encouraging beneficial insects.
For more information, visit one or more of the following resources online:

www.usda.gov/peoplesgarden
www.pollinator.org
www.twitter.com/peoplesgarden
www.facebook.com/USDA
www.usda.gov/blog/usda