Snow, temps in 20s, but they’re outside planning La Crosse’s community garden

Huffman and the Hunger Task Force hope to raise 30,000 pounds of veggies.

There may still be snow on the ground, but work is already happening with the at, probably, the biggest garden in La Crosse.

Volunteers are already giddy and planning the Kane Street Community Garden on the north side of the city.

Coordinator Todd Huffman gathered volunteers together at the garden with snow on the ground and temps in the 20s.

“We have a whole two city blocks here and we plant every square foot of it,” Huffman (pic below) said. “We always have a target to raise 30,000 pounds of vegetables. And that’s free to the volunteers and to the community.”

The community garden, operated by the Hunger Task Force, distributed 34,000 pounds of free, organic vegetables in the community last year.

And it couldn’t be done without help.

“It’s all about the volunteers,” Huffman said. “We need all the volunteers we can get. And by volunteering you’re helping grow some food for yourself and for everyone else in the community.”

And, although this March weather is cold, there is planting that will happen soon.

“Radishes would be something you could put out first, and spinach,” he said. “Those two could really handle the cold.”

Huffman also has stuff planted last year that’s already peeking above the soil.

“I’m pretty excited,” he said. “The garden planning is in the winter. It’s just fun to get that stack of seed catalogs.”