“Grow Your Community Garden” Workshop to Educate Local Nonprofit Leaders, Area Gardeners

SPRINGFIELD, MO – Great Southern Bank presents “Grow Your Community Garden” on Friday, March 1, 2019, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center, 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield.

The free workshop is designed to help individuals and organizations create and maintain community gardens. Participants may register at friendsofthegarden.org.

A community garden is a single plot of land gardened collectively by a group of people. Community gardens are growing in popularity and demand.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that community gardens offer physical and mental health benefits including opportunities to revitalize communities, decrease violence and improve social well-being through strengthening social connections, eat healthy fruits and vegetables and engage in physical activity and skill building.

The “Grow Your Community Garden” workshop is hosted in conjunction with University of Missouri Extension and the Master Gardeners of Greene County with support from the Springfield-Greene County Park Board.

Instructors are Kelly McGowan, horticulture field specialist with MU Extension; Ken Bass, Master Gardener and coordinator/founding member of the Schweitzer United Methodist Community Garden; and Carl Redmon, Master Gardener and coordinator/founding member of the Greater Parkcrest Neighborhood Community Garden.

McGowan will lead a morning session on “Vegetable Gardening Basics” and an afternoon session on “Food Safety in Community Gardens.”

For more information and the full workshop schedule, please visit friendsofthegarden.org, e-mail info@friendsofthegarden.org or call 417-874-2952.

The Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center is located within the Springfield Botanical Gardens at Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park.