By Nadine Horchner
St. Anthony Park’s Incredible Edible group sprouted in 2017 as a branch of the St. Antony Park Garden Club. It was inspired by the UK’s Incredible Edible movement, with the motto of growing food in public spaces for everyone to share.
IE works with the Garden Club and St. Paul Parks and Recreation department to identify public land that volunteers use to grow fruits, berries and herbs. The crop is open for public grazing all summer long. Here are the four IE gardens:
• St. Anthony Park Library Herb Garden, corner of Carter Street and Como Avenue. An ornamental edible herb garden featuring a variety of basils, sage, oregano, parsley, lavender as well as leeks and Swiss shard. Once the herbs and vegetables mature, they are harvested by garden club volunteers from mid-August into October. Weekly harvests are put out at the lower library entrance every Tuesday for everyone to share.
• College Park Berry and Pollinator Garden, corner of Carter Street and Raymond Avenue. This garden features tangy honeyberries (ripe starting in late May), delectable alpine strawberries (June through fall), black, red and white currants (mid-July), yellow raspberries (mid-July into fall), tart cherry (mid-July). This year, there are plans to put in a row of gooseberries along the sidewalk to extend the garden. So don’t be shy, please join in to taste the berries this summer!
• Langford Park Berry and Pollinator Garden, in the round planter next to Rec Center.
This garden features a whole hill of red alpine strawberries (ripe June through fall), yellow raspberries (August through October) and red and black currants (mid July), in addition to two cherry shrubs (mid July). Mulch paths through the planter lead you into the berry heaven. Please explore!
• The Triangle Park Urban Orchard, corner of Branston St. and Hendon Ave. This orchard features a variety of five young apple trees and recently added two plum trees. We are hoping to see a couple of apples and plums there this summer (July-August) and more next year.
If you have any questions or would like to help plant, weed, or water the IE gardens, please contact Nadine at nadinehorchner@gmail.com.
Nadine Horchner is a physician who lives in St. Anthony Park. She has a passion for gardening and growing edible fruits, berries, and herbs in the neighborhood for everyone to share as part of the Incredible Edible movement.
