A big Pioneer Thank You to everyone who helped at the Pioneer Heritage Village Garden this year! We had several new faces, and they even agreed to dress up and give tours during the Fair. I hope they enjoyed the experience. I appreciated the Master Gardeners’ eagerness to learn and their commitment to our Pioneer project.

We had rain/mist on most days, and this caused the plants to grow along with the weeds. Our resident bunny didn’t mind the weather and ran frantically around the garden during the first days of the Fair. He has apparently recovered and is back eating at the salad bar. Naturally, he doesn’t care to eat weeds.

We received many pleasant comments about the garden and especially about the unusual plants; shoofly plant, also called apple of Peru (Nicandra physalodes), Malabar spinach and asparagus that has gone to seed generated many conversations.

Our garden work is not done. We have potatoes to dig, and tomatoes and pickles to harvest. The bunny ate a great deal, but we will still have vegetables to share at a community food bank. Happy gardening to all!

Connie Shei Class of 2021 Pioneer Garden Chairman