The Drake Neighborhood Community Garden is located on 27th Street between University and Cottage Grove Avenues. Co-sponsored by Drake University and the Drake Neighborhood Association, the garden is sectioned each year into as many as forty (10x12-foot) plots available for use by community members at no charge. Only natural fertilizers are used in this chemical-free garden, and it is used primarily for growing vegetables.
Plots in the garden are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis each year. Gardeners need not live in the neighborhood but must attend a garden orientation and work day in the spring and contribute time, energy, and supplies to help with the garden's upkeep throughout the summer.
The Community Garden Committee prepares the soil, establishes plots and walkways in the garden, and helps elderly gardeners prepare their plots each spring. We need volunteers to help with those tasks, as well as with tending and spreading compost, picking up debris (such as walnuts, pine cones, and tree limbs), and weeding throughout the growing season.
Want to help? Interested in reserving a plot? Contact Rose Scott or Eddie Robinson, Jr. at 515-255-5630.
