Garden project reaches out to community

Nodaway County may be in the midst of a January cold snap, but spring is coming, and for Northwest Missouri State University graduate assistant Grace Becker, who is pursuing a master's degree in agriculture, an open field on the north edge of campus is beckoning.

Becker, along with associate professor Jamie Patton, a soils science specialist, already have a twitch in their green thumbs in anticipation of creating the "People’s Garden" when the 2013 planting season finally arrives.

The project, which is to involve considerable community involvement, is being funded with a $50,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Additional in-kind support is being provided by Northwest as a local match.

That may sound like a lot of money just for breaking ground and growing vegetables, but this is no ordinary plot. The People's Garden will double as a "sensory garden," which means it is being specially designed to provide outdoors enjoyment and hands-on activities for people with handicaps. Wheelchairs, for example, will be able to pull directly underneath multi-level flower beds.

All produce grown in the People’s Garden will be donated to the Maryville Ministry Center food pantry and the Nodaway County Senior Center.

The project took root last May, when Becker sought advice from Patton with regard to a graduate thesis project. Patton knew about the NRCS grant for collaborative projects designed to benefit communities through sustainable practices and urged Becker to apply.  

"After preparing for this garden since May, it still hasn’t sunk in for me yet," Becker said. "Until we break ground, it’s still just a concept on a piece of paper."

More than just growing food, Northwest Grants Coordinator Terry Manies said the garden will open up new experiences for those often unable to experience the joys of fresh-turned earth and budding shoots.

"Because of Grace’s design and what she has included, there’s also the benefit of giving people who are mentally and physically challenged ways to actually get their hands dirty and do the gardening," Manies said. "In the sensory garden, the sight-impaired can touch, taste, sense, feel and smell."

The garden will feature solar-powered lights, compost bins and recycled or repurposed building materials. Its hydration system will incorporate rain-collection barrels and drip irrigation.

More than 30 organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, Community Services Inc. and Midland Empire Resources for Independent Living, have already agreed to participate in the People's Garden project.

Patton expects the garden's social impact to be significant.

"That’s what we want to focus on – providing an opportunity for those with lower incomes, those who are homebound or those who are really in need to access something fresh," she said. "There’s nothing better than a tomato that comes directly from the garden.

We want to not only provide healthy food, but tasty food as well."