Warren County MU Extension and Warren County Master Gardeners will be offering low-cost garden beds and in-person education for Warren County residents interested in learning how to grow their own produce.

Home gardening boomed in 2020 and 2021 as a result of COVID-19 and the subsequent food shortages across the nation as formerly reliable stores were overburdened at the beginning of the pandemic. Through the earlier months of the pandemic, as many as 55% of all adults were gardening to replace a portion of their food previously filled by local grocers.

The Truesdale Community Garden, located at the corner of Conrad Circle and Laura Street in Truesdale, is composed of individual plots of garden beds allowing individuals and families to have their own plot to care and tend for, as well as take home the produce from. Warren County Extension and Warren County Master Gardeners envision this program as a means to empower individuals regardless of income.

Soil, beds, equipment, and seeds will be provided below cost to the participants and education will be free. Scholarships for youth interested in gardening are available to make the program free. Education from Extension and Master Gardeners will occur regularly each week at varying times.

Edible home gardening is expected to continue increasing in 2022 as individuals today try to save money on produce and expect more awareness of where their food comes from. As more younger people without experience begin to garden, Warren County Extension and Master Gardeners are around to empower those individuals with the education necessary to be successful.

If you have an interest in maintaining a plot at the Truesdale Community Garden, or have questions related to your own home garden, call the Extension at 636-456-3444.