The garden at the Starke County Justice Center has quadrupled in size compared to last year thanks to the dedicated efforts of jail staff and the trustees who participate in the Fostering a Recovery Mentality or F.A.R.M. Program.
Both the gated and ungated gardens and the neighboring greenhouse contain a plethora of items including spices, flowers, strawberries, and potatoes as well as a variety of vegetables such as pumpkins, cabbages, radishes and onions.
Therapeutic Community Coordinator and Jail Warden Phil Cherry mentioned that there will be a new addition to the F.A.R.M. Program soon.
Jail staff member Ethan Biggs plans to bring in some beehives and will be teaching the trustees about beekeeping and the process of harvesting honey.
The warden said this will be a nice addition because it will not only produce honey that they can utilize, but it will help keep the flowers pollinated. Cherry noted that the nurse is stocked with some Epi-Pens just in case someone with an allergy happens to get stung.
The food that comes out of the garden is utilized in the jail kitchen and some items are also donated.
However, since the garden is yielding so much more produce this year, officials are considering hosting some kind of farmer’s market events later this summer in order to sell some of the extra food, flowers and spices to help fund the therapeutic community programs at the jail.
Aside from the farmer’s markets during the summertime, they’re also interested in holding a pumpkin picking event in the fall as well.
