All the Dirt on Gardening

Sixty people came out on Saturday for the Community Gardening Education Event at Muskogee Public Library. Participants represented churches, neighborhoods, communities, schools and civic groups. All are interested in knowing how they can pitch in. Whether growing food strictly for consumption or to involve children in the wonders of knowing where their food comes from, each is passionate about getting started. Everyone indicated an interest in sharing part of what they grow. Photo: Bruce Edwards Keynote speaker, Bruce Edwards from Urban Harvest, Food Bank of Oklahoma City, has been instrumental in helping start as well as work with dozens of community gardens. His enthusiasm for growing gardens with groups is contagious. The panel included: Rodney King - OSU Extension, Kim Walton - Walton Farms, Julie Gahn - Tahlequah community gardens, George Driever - OSU Extension Gardeners had an opportunity to hear from each of these experienced gardeners and ask gardening questions. Their topics...

A neighborhood can put its resources together to grow a bountiful garden of salad vegetables, flavorful melons, zucchini and winter squash to serve family and friends. A plot of land, some tools, access to water and some seeds can become a source of pride, as well as building a sense of community. One conservative estimate is that there are over 10,000 community gardens around the country. The push to grow fresh vegetables in World War Two was the last time neighbors put their ideas together to provide nutritious food for as many people as possible. In 1943 the White House lawn, vacant lots in small towns and city parks were put into production. By 1946 half of the nation’s produce was grown in Victory Gardens. Since then, growing has become more centralized. Now agribusiness has removed the soil-to-table experience from most households. The concerns now, are tainted vegetables, increased pesticide and fertilizer use damaging water sources, plus increased transportation costs. In the p...