Community gardens coming this spring to Harmon Park and Cherokee Christian in PV

Here in deep mid-winter, the grounds near the Harmon Park tennis courts may be fallow. But come this April, community organizers are hoping they’ll be bursting forth with vegetable bounty.

After several years of planning, Prairie Village’s environmental committee is moving forward with plans to open two community gardens this spring. They’ve tilled ground for 20 20′x4′ plots at Harmon Park (see photo above), and will be working to ready additional plots on the grounds of Cherokee Christian Church, near the intersection of 75th Street and Belinder Avenue.

Thomas O’Brien, who has helped organize the project, said the plots will rent for $40 per growing season, running from April 1 through the end of October. Generally speaking, people who rent the plots will be able to grow whatever they like, though there are a few restrictions. Row crops, like corn and soybean, won’t be permitted because they would cover neighboring plots with shade. Also, chemical fertilizers are not allowed.

Details about how to reserve a plot for this spring will be released in the next couple weeks, O’Brien said.

“We’ll give first preference to Prairie Village residents for the plots,” he said, “but they’ll be open to anyone who wants one.”