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Oakwood Cemetery staff started a produce garden as a way to give back to the community last year.
Howard Kistler, supervisor at Oakwood Cemetery, said the garden was sexton Hal Heagy’s idea. Mayor Jeff Grose “had talked to us about things we could do to give back to the city and help the city out. And neighbors being neighbors is how he puts it. And so that was one thing Hal came up to. The food pantries were all running low last year, so he was just like, ‘Let’s see if we can donate food,’” Kistler recalled.
All the cemetery staff jumped in and did a great job with it, he said. There are eight staff members, including Heagy.
“Our first year wasn’t so great. We didn’t electrify (the fence) and we got critters in here. They wiped out our green beans right before we got our first picking. Took out all of the watermelon and musk melon plants,” he said.
Last year, the cemetery donated a little over 100 pounds to The Salvation Army. This year so far, they’ve donated 282 pounds of produce.
There are two areas behind the cemetery shop that are fenced off where green beans, green peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, musk melon and watermelon are grown. One section is 50 by 100 feet and Kistler estimated the second area is 20 by 40 feet.
Gardening season depends on the weather. Cemetery staff can’t start the garden until the last frost and he estimated they started in May this year. They’re looking to end the season probably at the end of September, he said.
They try to keep the same produce but rotate locations in the garden. This year, they added potatoes.
The produce goes to The Salvation Army and helps with their food pantry. Kistler said he thinks it helps benefit people who go to the food pantry because they get fresh produce they might not get anywhere else.
Kistler said everyone at the cemetery has helped out with the garden and some staff enjoy it a little more than others.
“So the ones who really want to be part of the garden, we always put them out here first. And then if we would happen to get behind on the weed eating or the guys need time to fill in or whatever, they come in and join in as well,” he said.
Lately, Kistler said produce has been picked daily. Before that, cemetery staff looked over the garden every other day and weeding.
Helping out with the garden was opened up to all city employees.
“They’re more than welcome to come out here on their lunch breaks or any time they wish to do so during business hours and help out, enjoy it, however it benefits them,” he said.
The garden helps cemetery staff as well, Kistler said. It’s relaxing for the people who do enjoy gardening.
“It helps us just as well, mental if nothing else,” he said.
Kistler said he would like to go a little bigger with the garden and join the two garden areas in the future.
