MSU Extension Tollgate Farm and Education Center

The MSU Tollgate Farm PAR (Plant-A-Row) Garden is celebrating 20 years of community service in 2022!   The PAR Garden was founded in 2002 with a charter to provide fresh produce for those who are food-challenged locally.  Since then, various teams of wonderful volunteers have toiled to produce an average of 2,600 pounds of fresh produce, with distribution support from Forgotten Harvest, Feed the Need in Novi, and CARES of Farmington Hills.  The garden, which consists of thirty-five 30'x4' beds in an enclosed area at MSU Tollgate Farm in Novi, is maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers with the support of the MSU Tollgate Farm staff.

Over the years, the garden has grown and many lessons learned have been incorporated into the maintenance of the garden based primarily on MSU Extension Master Gardener principles and gardening experience.  Our plantings have focused on vegetables with a good shelf life -- potatoes, onions, carrots, beets, cabbage, garlic, leeks, summer and winter squash, and turnips.  In years past, apples, watermelons, and other vegetables contributed to the bountiful yields.