A recent workshop at Hendrickson Park focused on the importance of gardeners.
“Today confirms for me that the most important component of the garden is the human aspect, the most important part,” said Simon Cozzens, Washington University graduate student.
A coalition of representatives worked during the event to improve existing gardens and create new ones. They included the Butler County Health Department, the University of Missouri Extension Office, Visiting Nurses Association, Wheatley School’s Children Succeeding in School, Poplar Bluff Parks and Recreation, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, University of Missouri School of Social, and researchers from Washington University in St. Louis.
Each individual representing the different organizations are members of the Butler County Wellness Coalition, said Rebeca Pacheco, executive director of the Butler County Community Resource Center.
“The council will use the information gathered at the garden workshop to create action plans to support the community gardens,” Pacheco said. “For example, the coalition will develop a mission statement, create a brochure with information about each gardening site, develop a community garden, training and develop a plan for recruiting gardeners.”
Poplar Bluff has three community gardens, with a third added this year at Sycamore Plaza thanks to the CRC and Wellness Coalition.
The research team from Washington University in St. Louis facilitated the workshop and included Sarah Prichard, Ebuwa Evbuoma, Cozzens and Stephanie Mazzucca.
Mazzucca, research professor at Washington University said, “This is a pilot program whose purpose is to establish a strong connection between research and the groups that actually work to support healthy living in rural counties.”
Members of the coalition have previously shared community gardens help low-income individuals and families access healthy foods by locating the gardens in areas where there is the most need and interest.
During the first day of the recent workshop, members were placed into groups where they discussed gardens and their development.
The second day the leaders assembled all of the ideas of the group.
Just like any other group, if there were too few gardeners, there would be too much work, and people would often become dissatisfied and leave the garden, Prichard explained.
Prichard said if the garden leaders had too many rules or were too prescriptive, then members of the garden would stop feelings any sense of ownership. Then they would lose interest.
The need is to continue to gain new gardeners. The need to educate them was also there, according to organizers.
“We cannot assume that they will be an expert on gardening,” said Prichard.
Even though gardens are functional, they also have an aesthetic affect too.
“If the garden looks too empty or like the plants are unhealthy, then gardeners will lose interest,” Prichard said.
Although the gardening workshop has concluded, further plans have been set into motion.