BLOOMINGTON - Folks with green thumbs are celebrating the unexpected return of the city of Bloomington's community garden at Hershey and Ireland Grove roads. The Bloomington Parks & Recreation Department, which oversaw the garden, announced in March the program was no longer available after Unit 5 schools, the property's previous owner, traded the land to Sunrise Co. LLC in return for a place to build a school complex at U.S. 150 when Hershey Road is extended.

The City Council rezoned the former garden last December to allow neighborhood shopping and mixed residential use.

Lacey Shirk Glandon, spokeswoman for the company, said a Pantagraph article about the loss of the community garden spurred the company to offer the land to the city again while plans for development are finalized. The City Council approved details on Monday.

Parks director Dean Kohn said survival of the community garden is guaranteed for two years at the current location. He'll look for an alternate site in the meantime. Possibilities include Gaelic Park and at city-owned parkland at Eagle View South.

The city will offer 46 plots on a first-come, first-served basis. They include eight plots of 12 feet by 30 feet for $15 each and 38 plots of 25 feet by 30 feet for $30 each. The city will plow the land, which may be planted starting May 23.

Kohn said the city will take requests for space starting the morning of May 20. The lobby of the Government Center at 115 W. Washington St., could be open as early at 5:30 a.m. so people can enter and take a number.

"These people are diehards," Kohn said. "They put additives to their gardens so they want the same one if they can. Others want to be close to the water and parking lot. Others know not to take the plots used by seniors for that reason. There is a lot more social aspect to it than just the gardening."

Tina Sipula, founder of Clare House food pantry, was ecstatic the garden was available again. She relies on the vegetables, which volunteers grow to help operate the pantry and Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Bloomington. Sipula said she also heard from many people on fixed or low incomes who were looking for garden plots to supplement their food budgets.

"I'm very happy. A lot of people count on this food to get by. It's wonderful," she said.

Working out details to keep the garden going delayed planting about a month, Kohn said.

"We are playing catch up, but that's OK. There are a lot of farmers not even in the field yet. We should be good," Kohn said.

Call (309) 434-2260 for more information.