Pocatello breaks ground on first community garden, more could follow
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POCATELLO – A new community garden is being established in Pocatello to serve residents.
City leaders joined with the Portneuf Valley Partners, the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce and other community members on Friday to break ground on a new community garden. The one-acre parcel at North Arthur Avenue and King Street, is expected to be ready for planting by next April, in time for the spring planting season.
Although that date is more than 10 months away, Portneuf Valley Partners board member Brittani Hobson says there’s already a waiting list.
“If there’s other places around town in different neighborhoods (where) we can help start these community gardens and have more than just one … we really want to spread it throughout this valley and have more available,” Hobson says.
While this community garden will be the only one in Pocatello, it’s not the first.
About 10 years ago, a young Pocatello resident named Alexis “Lexi” Jorgenson wanted to start a community garden, so she approached the city with the idea. In response, Hobson said the city gave her a small section of land on Constitution Park.
With her family’s help, Hobson said Jorgenson built a series of planter boxes, where she grew her own plants.
“She grew plants for 10 years pretty much by herself,” Hobson said. “She loved the idea of having a community garden.”
But Jorgenson was the primary person planting in and maintaining the garden. As she got older and began to attend Idaho State University, it was too much for her to keep up. Eventually, the city removed the planter boxes and replanted grass where the garden once stood.
Jorgensen’s effort led the Portneuf Valley Partners to name a section of the new community garden “Lexi’s Garden.”
“We want to honor her legacy of what she did,” Hobson said.
For Hobson, the idea of establishing a community garden stems back to her time living in Seattle. A neighborhood near her house had one.
“The people in that neighborhood absolutely loved that community garden,” said Hobson. “It was this beautiful little plot of ground right between all of these big buildings, and people would go and take care of their own little garden spot.”
Portneuf Valley Partners is leasing the space for the community garden from the city for $1 per year.
“They’re really just letting us use this ground,” Hobson said.
About 35 garden plots will be established in the spring, with plans to expand and offer 30 additional plots. Four planter boxes will be reserved for the Idaho Food Bank.
Patrons will be expected to do at least eight hours of community service per season to use the garden.
With a long waiting list for the community garden, Hobson said another could come to the neighborhood at some point. The Portneuf Valley Partners intend to have this one demonstrate that the demand in Pocatello – and Chubbuck – is there.
“The city of Pocatello and the city of Chubbuck have it on their long-term plan to have community gardens in their cities,” Hobson said.
In the long-term, the Portneuf Valley Partners want to establish a network of gardens for the community.
“We really want to spread (community gardens) throughout this valley and have more available,” Hobson said.