It’s never to early to start planning for gardening season. Diehard gardeners, as well as some hobby gardeners alike, start planning for the following season as soon as they finish planting the last seeds of the current season. The new Cheryl L. Reinert Memorial Community Garden in Great Bend is going to be a place where both of those groups can come to grow together.
Since 2022 the Barton County Conservation District, in conjunction with the Barton County Master Gardeners group, has helped facilitate a community Victory Garden at the Barton County Historical Society just south of Great Bend. Featuring a large group garden as well as raised beds, which were popular for growers who would rather not crawl in the dirt, the Victory garden was a place to learn, share ideas and maintain food security following years of instability related to COVID-19.
After three seasons of successful gardening, the fall of 2022 was the first prep year, the community garden has found a new home inside Great Bend city limits, BCCD District Manager Veronica Coons explained, who is also a community garden leader.
“We had a lot of success at the historical society and it helped us reach several different groups like CORE Community and some students at Barton Academy,” Coons said.
Honoring Reinert
As with any garden season, the last three at the historical society weren’t without challenges and, ultimately, many gardeners who utilized the community growing space acknowledged that it would be nice to have an area in town to help make participation more convenient.
After many conversations, the conservation district and Master Gardeners were able to find a suitable site.
“We ended up reaching out to Larry and Marilyn Kopke and asked about a property that they own in town,” Coons said. “We got together and visited with them and they were enthusiastic about our plans.”
The new site will be at 17th and Stone St. and will be named in honor of the Kopke’s daughter, Cheryl L. Reinert, who passed away in April.
The community space will feature a vegetable garden and herb beds, and also a pollinator garden. Cheryl was an avid gardener, flower lover and nature lover, and the Kopkes felt this would be a very nice memorial for her, and as well as a benefit to the community, Coons explained.
Many hands make light work
Modeled after the community garden in Larned, the new space in town will feature a large shared vegetable garden rather than the more traditional individual plots common among community gardens. In January, those interested will be able to sign up to participate and the group will develop an overall plan for the garden, including what will be grown and how those plants will be planted. Those involved will be able to harvest and utilize the bounty grown.
“Larned has a wonderful model and they’ve been great explaining how it works over there and by letting us explore their garden and helping us visualize what we hope to accomplish here.”
Shared gardens offer people flexibility, and that’s one of benefits that was a large key to success at the Historical Society garden. Because life is busy during the growing season, people can work together to volunteer to cover someone else’s space for a little while and helping each other promotes one of the core missions of community gardens.
The BCCD and Master Gardeners, though the Kansas State Research and Extension Cottonwood District, are two of the main organizers helping to create the space. A new nonprofit organization has also been established to help raise funds and write grants, Sunshine Community Gardens, Inc. Coons has also been working with the Golden Belt Community Foundation to help with fundraising. Rush County Conservation District pitched in to help break the sod in mid November which will help the soil rest over winter, preparing for spring planting.
Future plans
Gardeners are bold thinkers and dreamers and future ideas and plans for the garden, which will already feature the efficient watering method of drip irrigation, include a shed for storage and a covered shelter to help facilitate meetings and hands on learning as well as give gardeners a place to rest out of the sun.
Sunshine Community Gardens, Inc. recently received tax exempt status and those interested in donating to the community garden can contribute through the Golden Belt Community Foundation. Hands on help is also always encouraged.
With close proximity to the library, where gardening classes are currently held, as well as multiple schools and the meeting places for some of the contributing groups of potential gardeners, the hope is that it will be easier for everyone to experience the benefits of nature and gardening.
