BONNERS FERRY — GROW! Community Garden is holding their annual meeting on March 2, 7 p.m, where they will discuss a myriad of topics like membership and volunteer options, plans for the upcoming season, as well as the expansion of their “Little Free Gardens” program. All members of the public are invited to participate via Zoom.

The goal of GROW! has always been to support and expand the local food system and they’ve been doing exactly that for about ten years.

The GROW! Garden has seven raised beds and around 20 plots available for the public. They rent the beds and plots for around $25-30 per season. Locals without access to gardening land can grow their own food and have access to Master Gardeners through the University of Idaho Extension Office, which works in tandem with GROW! volunteers.

Another feature of GROW! is their Little Free Gardens. It’s a national program that started in Minnesota in 2015 with the purpose of providing food to anyone one who wanted it.

The boxes are put in accessible areas like front yards, schools, churches and businesses as long as the homeowner, business owner etc. are willing to host, maintain and share the garden with others.

The first Little Free Garden in Bonners Ferry was put in front of the library in 2019, but it wasn’t just the first in town, it was the first in the entire state of Idaho, an exciting first that has only continued to grow.

You’ve probably seen some of these boxes around town, but may have been unaware of what they were for. In 2020, GROW! distributed 38 boxes throughout the community. 2021 will add 20 more. The best part of these gardens? Anyone can collect the fresh produce from them. All the produce is free to the public.

Every Little Free Garden gets registered on the national website and added to a nationwide map where you can check out all the Little Free Gardens across the country.

Funding for the LIttle Free Gardens comes in part from Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health High Five! Grants, but they are always looking for donations, whether those are seeds or lumber to build boxes or money for the program.

Hosting a Little Free Garden is a simple application process. GROW! provides the container and soil and Future Farmers of America have been providing the seedlings. You just have to agree to care for the plants and maintain the box.

If you’re interested in hosting a Little Free Garden, you can contact either GerryAnn Howlett at 208-267-3791 or [email protected], or Kate Painter at 208-267-3235 or [email protected].

In the meantime, you can join in at the GROW! Annual meeting via Zoom at https:/tiny.one/GROW2021 on March 2 at 7 p.m. They will be giving out raffle prizes including a book by local author Jerry Pavia, seeds, and more.