Seniors hold garden party for 2nd year to mark Earth Day

When New Merkle House manager Melanie Perry asked if anyone had experience with gardening, almost all of the seniors gathered at the house April 21 said — with a word or a nod — that they did.

Some of the seniors shared stories from their love of gardening and working outside.

Anne Setzer said that as one of 15 children, she was given the choice as a young girl to either do housework or work in the fields of the family farm, and she always chose towork outside.

“You raised your own labor [back then],” she said, which drew chuckles from the rest of the group.

The seniors were gathered for the second annual garden party to celebrate Earth Day and again commemorated the event by planting a community garden in the raised beds outside the New Merkle House.

Perry thanked the public works and parks and recreation department employees who helped with preparing the beds, and thanked the city for providing the plants for the seniors to tend.

The group planted an array of vegetables and herbs, from cucumbers to different varietiesof tomatoes.

Perry said last year, the tomatoes were enjoyed all summer long, and with the number of plants they put in the beds this year, the seniors should be able to enjoy them this summer — as long as they don’t fry all of the green ones.