In its second year as partners, the Crow Wing County Master Gardeners and the Northland Arboretum have produced over 1,700 pounds of produce so far. The goal this year is 2,000 pounds, which the gardeners expect to exceed.

“I get to get out off my office and interact with members with some great volunteers,” said Northland Arboretum Executive Director Candice Zimmermann. “Really getting my hands dirty is what I enjoy most about my job. If I’m able to get out here an interact with those volunteers and really be apart of the impact, that makes it a great day for me.”

Thanks to some grants, the garden was able to install an overhead irrigation system to have consistent watering throughout the gardens.

Produce from the gardens gets delivered to places around Crow Wing County, such as the Salvation Army and the Sharing Bread Kitchen.

The garden will be open until the end of the month before the gardeners begin preparing it for the colder temperatures.

By — Nick Ursini