Nevermind the forecast; Spring is near

    Good news: Spring is close at hand!  Sure, the wind chill may be below zero today in Iowa, but I have proof that warmer weather is near: my renewal notice for the Cedar Rapids city gardens came in the mail this week. To me, that's a herald of spring and it also brings up a quest that was brought to my attention.

     I've been asked to help find community gardens in Linn County for a new effort called the Community Garden Network. 

Linn County Public Health, the Iowa Valley RC&D and HACAP are leading the effort to support growing and enhancing access to fresh produce.

    The group wants to identify the existing community gardens in Linn County to create a registry and identify needed supports.

They are looking for any kind of community garden, defined as “any piece of land gardened by a group of people.”

   You can leave a message below with info about a Linn County community garden or send an e-mail to HACAP Community Development's Dora Bopp at: dbopp@hacap.org or call her at (319) 551-7182.