Community Garden open despite restrictions

KELLOGG — It’s all about green thumbs, fresh air, and social distancing at the Silver Bee Community Garden this season.

The quaint garden that runs along the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes is open for the season, but this year comes with a few more rules than it has historically.

With the COVID-19 pandemic in full force, Silver Bee organizer Deanna Fitzgerald was forced to put some rules in place to ensure that the garden can stay open.

Those rules include washing hands prior to entering the garden, limit of no more than 10 gardeners inside the garden at a time and those gardeners can’t bring visitors in with them, sterilizing all used equipment following use, practicing social distancing guidelines, not coming to the garden when you’re feeling ill, and other basic health guidelines.

Those rules, mixed with the unfortunate cancellation of the garden’s many group events will allow the garden to navigate through this tumultuous time, but that is better than having to shut the garden down for the season altogether.

Fitzgerald believes that the community garden, despite having the rules they have had to enforce, is a viable outlet for people who may be craving safe social interaction during this time of forced isolation.

It can also be a way for folks to grow their own food as well.

“I feel it can help during this time by being a social outlet for those to grow healthy vegetables while providing an opportunity to visit with others while following social distancing recommendations,” Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald has a few plots left available for anyone looking to get a semi-late start on the gardening season and she can be contacted at 208-512-4372 or by email at silverbeecommunity

garden@gmail.com to get a registration form completed.

Visit the Silver Bee Community Garden Facebook page for more information, as well as a full list of COVID-19 rules and regulations.