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The community gardening movement is gaining popularity in the Northland

Community gardening is starting to take root in the Northland.

These gardens are sprouting up in urban and suburban areas across the U.S., and the Kansas City region is no exception. Increasingly, according to local experts, cities, neighborhoods and residents recognize the value of sharing resources to produce flowers, fruits and vegetables and nourish healthy communities.

Though the concept has yet to become widespread in the Northland, the seeds of community gardening have been planted and are ready to sprout, according to University of Missouri Extension Horticulture Specialist Marlin Bates.

“I get phone calls all the time from individuals with property who want to open it up for a community garden,” Bates said.

The Northland is ripe for the development of new community gardens, confirmed Cass Sullivan, a member of the Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City. Sullivan recalled being peppered with questions recently while leading an urban garden tour.

“People want to know about community gardens,” she said.

Community gardens are attractive because they serve so

many needs, Bates and Sullivan said.

Food production, community and environmental development, mental and physical health improvements, education and increased personal wealth are all among the dividends experienced in the past by communities that have embraced these projects, according to training material provided by the University of Missouri Extension.

“The most important thing about a community garden is the community,” Bates said. “If each neighborhood had a community garden, think how cohesive they would be. You end up with a better community.”

A community garden doesn’t have to be about a geographic neighborhood, however.

Bates oversees a cadre of children who work on individual 8-by-12-foot plots two days a week in a community garden focused on education at Gladstone’s Fairview Christian Church. The young people are learning to raise produce like okra, tomatoes, peppers, squash and green beans.

“We are really encouraging our kids to think about feeding others,” Bates said.

Paige Robbins is the 50-plus coordinator for Gladstone and helps run the city’s community garden, 14 plots near 76th Street and Antioch Road. In Robbins’ case, the garden is for a community of older adults.

“They enjoy going out there and visiting with each other,” Robbins said.

The Gladstone community garden has proved incredibly popular over its 20-year life, Robbins said, and there’s a long waiting list to participate. To make room for more plots, the city is preparing to unveil a new partnership with North Kansas City Schools to open a community garden at Oakwood Manor Elementary School.

“We’re just happy that we’ve got more space to do this,” Robbins said. “I think it would be enriching for anybody who does it.”

LEARN MORE

A wide variety of expert material and advice is available about starting and running a community garden

- Kansas City Community Gardens — call 931-3877, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , visit www.kccg.org

- University of Missouri Extension — call 407-3490 (Clay County) or 270-2141 (Platte County), visit extension.missouri.edu

- Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City — call 833-8733, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , visit extension.missouri.edu/gkcmg

- American Community Gardening Association — call 877-275-2242, e-mail info@community garden.org, visit communitygarden.org.

Staff writer Ray Weikal can be reached at 389-6637 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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