A flower blooms in this 2020 picture from the Maumelle Community Garden. (@MaumelleCommunityCenterGardeners/Facebook)
Do you have a garden? Do you want one?
If the answer is yes to either, people who live in North Little Rock and Maumelle have some significant options.
For one, there’s community gardens in both cities.
North Little Rock currently has 22 active community gardens through the city’s Fit 2 Live initiative. Maumelle also has community garden projects at the Jess Odom Community Center, while Maumelle First United Methodist Church has its First Fruits project.
It is described as a “community garden of raised beds available for an annual fee.”
A portion of everything grown there, “goes to local food pantries” in addition to food for the families who participate.
There’s also your backyard.
That’s where the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service steps in with its online series titled, ““Grow Your Own Groceries.”
The presentations are one-hour long and are held on the first and third Thursday of each month on Zoom.
Each presentation focuses on a specific fruit or vegetable.
The next available session is Feb. 18, and will cover potatoes.
The upcoming schedule
Feb. 18: Potatoes
March 4: Broccoli, Cauliflower and Cabbage
March 18: Salad greens
April 1: Strawberries
April 15: Herbs
May 6: Cucumbers
The classes are free but advance registration is required and can be done by clicking here.
More than 500 people attended the classes in January.
“We’re seeing a lot more people interested in edible gardening,” said Krista Quinn, agriculture agent with the Faulkner County Extension office. “People who are interested in landscaping and flowers are getting into growing their own food, and we also are seeing people who have no experience gardening suddenly have an interest. I think it’s great. Part of the reason we wanted to do this program is to give people as much information as we can to help them be successful: whether they have a small suburban garden or a larger traditional garden.”
The hour-long session will generally have a 45-minute presentation that is then followed by questions and answers.
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Do you have a garden? Do you want one?
If the answer is yes to either, people who live in North Little Rock and Maumelle have some significant options.
For one, there’s community gardens in both cities.
North Little Rock currently has 22 active community gardens through the city’s Fit 2 Live initiative. Maumelle also has community garden projects at the Jess Odom Community Center, while Maumelle First United Methodist Church has its First Fruits project.
It is described as a “community garden of raised beds available for an annual fee.”
A portion of everything grown there, “goes to local food pantries” in addition to food for the families who participate.
There’s also your backyard.
That’s where the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service steps in with its online series titled, ““Grow Your Own Groceries.”
The presentations are one-hour long and are held on the first and third Thursday of each month on Zoom.
Each presentation focuses on a specific fruit or vegetable.
The next available session is Feb. 18, and will cover potatoes.
The upcoming schedule
Feb. 18: Potatoes
March 4: Broccoli, Cauliflower and Cabbage
March 18: Salad greens
April 1: Strawberries
April 15: Herbs
May 6: Cucumbers
The classes are free but advance registration is required and can be done by clicking here.
More than 500 people attended the classes in January.
“We’re seeing a lot more people interested in edible gardening,” said Krista Quinn, agriculture agent with the Faulkner County Extension office. “People who are interested in landscaping and flowers are getting into growing their own food, and we also are seeing people who have no experience gardening suddenly have an interest. I think it’s great. Part of the reason we wanted to do this program is to give people as much information as we can to help them be successful: whether they have a small suburban garden or a larger traditional garden.”
The hour-long session will generally have a 45-minute presentation that is then followed by questions and answers.
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