Garden flourishing during expansion process

Worland Community Garden Manager Ivy Asay discussed new goals and the upcoming expansion project for the little plot at Newell Sargent Park.

The community garden is run by a Community Garden Board, and according to their Facebook page they, “grow food for local non-profits and service organizations, and host educational programs.”

Asay said, “Last year we were able to donate 3,864 pounds of produce, which was our best season yet, but our goal this year is to break 4,000 pounds.”

She continued, “We get to expand into the neighboring grass plot, but we wanted to really try to break 4,000 pounds with our existing land to really see what we can do with what we have.”

Asay said in a letter to Worland City Council members that the first step would be to extend the north side of the fence, work that would begin sometime in June. She stated in the letter, “We have put lots of work in applying for some larger grants so we can have the funds we need to finish the first phase of the expansion, which covers basic infrastructure such as irrigation, utility access, and accessible walkways throughout the garden … if we are awarded the funds, we hope to start on some of that infrastructure this fall.”

The first change you’ll see at the garden is the addition of raised beds, which cover a majority of the existing land except for paths covered by a weed barrier. Most of the raised beds are enclosed in long, wooden planters, but some are incomplete pending additional grant funding. Asay said, “It helps a lot with weed control and just keeping things organized. So it’s really been a season about getting more organized and prepping for having more space.”

Now two weeks into June, Asay said the garden is in “full swing” producing crops, and she is optimistic about reaching the 4,000-pound goal. “We’ve got a lot of winter squash, and we’ve got a lot of things that we’re going to be able to plant multiple times this year, so we’ll probably have two to three batches of carrots and beets and radishes, and we’ve got more brassicas this year — broccolis, cauliflowers and cabbages. Yeah, I think it’s going to be a really successful year, I’m really excited for it,” said Asay.

Several varieties of winter squash are joining the garden this season including Delicatas, Hubbards, Buttercups and Harvest Moons, as well as a sizeable crop of three varieties of onion. They have also obtained a “Garden Tower,” a planting option with a narrow profile that takes advantage of vertical space. Asay wrote, “It will be a great educational opportunity for people in our community who may have smaller spaces and be interested in vertical gardening.”

Asay wrote “It’s still a work in progress, but we encourage you to stop by and see how things are changing!”

She also notes that to get produce from the Worland Community Garden, you should check with the University of Wyoming Extension Office at 1200 Culbertson Avenue Suite G in Worland. Visit or call at 307-347-3431 to find out what produce is available or when it will be. “Once harvesting begins we try to drop produce off once or twice a week,”

she said.