In 1996 the City of Des Moines received a 9.3 acre plot of land adjacent to Parkside Elementary School. The land came courtesy of Daisy Sonju and her family.
15 years and a lot of planning and manual labor later, the Daisy Sonju Community Garden & Pea Patch is now a reality.
The journey to today’s ribbon cutting involved 142 volunteers and over 700 hours of work to remove invasive species, identify salvageable trees in the orchard and create the garden space.
The space includes a pea patch, demonstration beds for local elementary school groups, a herb garden, seating areas and planting space for the Des Moines Area Food Bank and Senior Services.
Funding and support was provided by the City of Des Moines, Des Moines Legacy Foundation, Rotary Club of Des Moines and the Des Moines Area Food Bank. Sponsors include Furney’s Nursery, Garden & Bloome, Print Place, Asplund Tree Service/PSE, Allied Waste, Zenith Holland, JustGarden!, K&A Landscape and City Fruit.
Local residents can get involved with the garden by participating in upcoming work parties on June 12 and July 10, from 2pm to 5pm. The garden is located at 24728 16th Avenue South in Des Moines.
WLB photographer Michael Brunk was at today’s dedication ceremony and took the following photos. You can click individual images to view them larger.
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- The Daisy Sonju Community Garden dedication ceremony on Saturday, May 28, 2011
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- The Daisy Sonju Community Garden
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- Des Moines Food Bank volunteer Basil Weiner
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- Des Moines mayor Bob Sheckler and Patrice Thorell, director of Des Moines Parks, Recreation and Senior Services
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- Harpist Clara McMichael
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- Officer Jan Magnuson with Aspen at the dedication ceremony
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- Des Moines mayor Bob Sheckler speaks about the garden prior to the ribbon cutting
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- Attendees included city council members Matt Pina, Dave Kaplan and Carmen Scott
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- The official ribbon cutting to dedicate the Daisy Sonju Community Garden
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- Kim Richmond, volunteer Community Project Manager
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- An enthusiastic crowd was in attendance for today’s dedication
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- Just tiny leaves now but later in the growing season… pumpkins!
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- Hawthorn tree in bloom at the Daisy Sonju Community Garden
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- Exploring the orchard that is part of the Daisy Sonju Community Garden
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- The first crops are in the ground at the Daisy Sonju Community Garden
Michael,
Thank you for capturing the excitement of the day at the Daisy Sonju Community Garden & Pea Patch Dedication & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony! The pictures are fabulous and it was wonderful to have you with us – thank you for making our event a priority! The garden is a first in our city and we are pleased that fresh fruits and vegetables will be grown and enjoyed by the gardeners, their family and friends, and other residents that will receive the food within the community. Here’s to healthy eating and active living and to working together for a healthier Des Moines!
Sue Anderson
Policy Analyst
Des Moines Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Initiative
Communities Putting Prevention to Work
Michael,
Thank you for your support and delightful pictures of Daisy’s Garden dedication.
The City of Des Moines is very proud of this volunteer project headed up by Kim Richmond and a crew of dedicated gardeners (over 150 strong) working more than 800 hours thus far.
It is great that the garden has the support of Des Moines Legacy Foundation, the Rotary Club of Des Moines and the Des Moines Area Food Bank (and numerous other businesses identified in the article) because it is truly a community effort.
We are excitied about the oppportunity to provide fresh fruit and vegetables to community members in need as well as plots for local gardeners to enjoy.
Citizens interested in helping with the Daisy Sonju Community Garden project (garden or orchard) are encouraged to contact the Parks and Recreation office at 206-870-6527 or see us at the opening of the Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market this Saturday, June 4th at S. Marina Park..
Let’s continue to work together to help make Des Moines a healthy community!
Thanks again, Patrice Thorell