Eugene saw a record number of people sign up for plots at its community gardens this year. The demand may have something to do with the pandemic.
In a normal year there would be maybe 30-40 requests for community garden plots when the lottery opens up. This year, they had 135 requests. Danielle Klinkebiel manages the community gardens program for Eugene’s Parks and Open Space division. She said the high demand is likely due to COVID-19.
“I think a lot of people are more interested in growing their own food,” Klinkebiel said. “There’s also something about being out in a garden. There’s a lot of mental health components, with working the soil and growing a garden.”
Klinkebiel said due to the high demand, they were able to divide some plots in half. They now have 380 garden plots in use. She added the city is creating a new park in Santa Clara that will include a community garden.
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