Filled with a quarter acre of produce, flowers and herbs, the Gardens at Gantz is a testament to the passion of its volunteers. And while Gantz’s volunteers want a bountiful garden, they also want the garden’s growth to extend deeper into the community.
Just as it invests in each herb and flower, this group wants to invest in its community. To do this, the group created the Volunteers at Gantz Farm Garden Grant.
This $500 grant was formed to fund individuals and groups looking to learn and develop gardening skills and provide education on horticulture topics. Mary McMunn, the president of the volunteer group, explains what ventures the grant might aid.
“It could include planting a garden, it could include education,” says McMunn. “It could be herb related, because the Gardens at Gantz is actually an herb garden.”
The organization is hoping to reach people across the South-Western City School District footprint, and the application process is simple. To apply for the funding, aspiring gardeners must simply detail how they would use the grant and why they believe it aligns with the goals of the organization.
Volunteers hope to foster excitement toward gardening, and with that, there are endless opportunities.
The grant has already brought positive change to the community, including the gardening program established at Monterey Elementary School. Former teacher and current Gantz volunteer Diane “Dee” McCune was looking to combine her two passions, teaching and gardening, and envisioned a gardening program that would foster a love of the hobby in young minds. But for her dream to gain footing, she needed financial support. She applied for the grant, and her request was met with enthusiastic approval.
With the funding, Dee created the Monterey Outdoor Classroom, a flower and vegetable garden for students. Dee used the funds to create a series of outdoor areas for children to learn, including a pollinator garden, a butterfly habitat, a memory garden and a fairy garden.
The program teaches students how to cultivate plants, how to attract certain insects or animals, why weeding is important and other skills that lead to a successful harvest.
“It’s a great hands-on learning experience for the kids,” says McMunn. “Get dirty, be outside, understand the weather impacts what you’re doing and understand that you have a responsibility – if you expect your garden to blossom – to take care of it.”
The garden club consists of interactive activities, such as planting radishes and carrots. However, what makes it so special is how it combines education with gardening. Young gardeners can be found reading stories about root vegetables or learning math lessons tied to the beans they’re planting.
“There are so many ways you can find those teachable moments with gardening,” McCune says.
Thanks to the Volunteers at Gantz Farm Garden Grant, Dee can purchase planting materials, stumps for children to sit on as they read in the garden and other supplies to help the program flourish.
The Lincoln Village Youth and Community Garden also grew from the grant. Thanks to this funding, teachers from Prairie Lincoln Elementary School created a garden for students. They paired with Westminster Presbyterian Church, and using church land, created a beautiful six-bed garden for students to enjoy and learn from.
Although the Volunteers at Gantz Farm Garden Grant has received extraordinary ideas from gardeners thus far, members understand that ideas take time to grow. For those in search of inspiration, the Gardens at Gantz has many opportunities to develop cultivation skills.
For young gardeners, the Garden Sprouts Program takes place in the Farmhouse at the Gardens at Gantz, and it teaches kids horticulture knowledge and offers interactive workshops and activities outside.
McMunn encourages green-thumbed grown-ups who are looking to get involved to join the volunteer program. Although the group contains many knowledgeable gardening enthusiasts, it is also the perfect place for newcomers to develop their skills. Regardless of experience level, McMunn is confident than anyone will benefit from a day gardening with this crew.
“The gardens themselves are a gem,” says McMunn. “There’s a lot of pride and passion around (them).”
Through a plant sale held each spring, a spring symposium that provides horticulture education for adults and other charity events, the volunteers at Gantz Farm can consistently fund its namesake grant.
Interested in applying for Volunteers at Gantz Farm Garden Grant or have questions? Reach out to herbs@gantzgardensoh.org. McMunn hopes that this grant will give the community a chance to experience the wonders of the Gardens at Gantz, while expanding education on gardening. However, its overarching goal is simple:
“Just seeing things grow,” McMunn says.
Megan Brokamp is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
