April showers delay opening of Naperville garden plots

Most gardeners would give their left green thumb to have the April showers that have been drenching the area for the past few weeks.

But all that water does them no good if their plots haven't been prepared for planting.

Naperville Park District Director of Recreation Brad Wilson, who oversees the public garden area at 811 S. West St., said the nearly 4.25 inches of rain that has fallen this month has made it nearly impossible to prepare the 518 plots.

“We had set up April 23 as the date we would open the plots. We got them tilled and prepped so the last step is measuring the plots and putting markers up,” Wilson said. “But with the standing water and muddy conditions, even if they were marked and open, gardeners would have difficulty accessing the plots.”

Wilson said improvements previously were made to improve drainage in the plots, but the soil simply has taken on too much water.

He said crews are monitoring the condition of the plots daily and will get in them to measure and mark them as soon as conditions permit. The work, he said, could take two or three days once conditions improve.

“Thankfully we know many of our gardeners don't begin working in their plots until May,” Wilson said. “So hopefully we'll get a couple dry days strung together over the next week. Our goal is to get the plots open as early as possible.”

Once open, the plots will remain available through mid-October. No refunds will be issued to gardeners who decide the delay will make it too late to get going.

Wilson said all plot owners will be contacted by email this week on the status of the plots and the district's website will be updated with additional information.