2013 KANSAS STATE MASTER GARDENERS SEARCH FOR EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNING ESSAY AND PRESENTATION
The Turner Community Garden is located in Wyandotte County on Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad property at the entrance to our historic Kansas City, Kansas neighborhood. For years the first thing visitors entering Turner would see was an area of overgrown brush and weeds strewn with trash from illegal dumping. Community Center’s 50 Plus group started clearing it out in 2010, and with an initial grant from the Board of Public Utilities began a garden. Today, a beautiful sedum berm built with a grant from Turner Community Connections welcomes one and all to our garden. In 2012 a committee was formed under T.R.C., by-laws written and officers elected. Turner Recreation Commission was given a perpetual lease on the land in 2013. This sloping, 1.5 acre plot now features a 12,000 square foot vegetable garden, a butterfly and herb garden and a shady grove picnic area. The objectives of the Turner Community Garden are:
A. To provide a location for the purpose of growing vegetables, fruits and flowers for public consumption. To create opportunities for learning and recreational activities for all ages. Our gardeners are all volunteers from the community. Seven Wyandotte County Extension Master Gardeners who live in the area advise and teach the best management practices to the volunteers. We have a few private plots but it is mostly a common area service community garden. We have built a greenhouse with a donation from Dr. Ghassemi to start and nurture plants for the garden. We also have a hoop house, compost bins and raised beds for educational and practical purposes. To conserve water we use gravity-fed irrigation and a 1,100 gallon rainwater collection system. To control erosion we use terraces, wood mulch, leaf litter and straw bales. This is a place not only for growing food and enjoying nature, but sharing what we have learned with the next generation. In just the past year, the Extension Master gardeners have educated 994 Turner Youth about gardening and healthy eating through its Plant to Plate Program which was developed by Lynn Loughery, our Horticulture Agent. Garden visits reinforce our lesson plans and show the youth hands-on how their food is grown and harvested. Many groups and organizations utilize the garden including the Girl Scouts, 4-H, Turner Middle School Science Club, the Summer Arts Program of the First Baptist Church of Turner, Turner Community Library and Turner Recreation Commission's Summer Camp and Day-Out and After School Program. Our own Wyandotte County Master Gardeners have held their annual picnic in our garden for the last two summers. We have harvested over 3000 pounds of produce this season alone and have started
a farmers market once a week to sell excess produce and help make our garden sustainable. In addition we have donated much of the excess to Harvesters, St. Mary’s Soup Kitchen, The Rosedale Rainbow, Summer Academy, Veterans of American Legion, K.C. Women’s and Children Shelter. From the beginning our slogan has been, “It’s More Than Just a Garden.” Turner Community Garden is a gathering place for learning, relaxing and building pride for all ages in our neighborhood. Saved
55th and Klamm
Kansas City, Kansas
(913) 287-2111
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