Community Building with Pop-up Gardens
What comes to mind when you think of Minnetrista’s gardens? You might think of the seasonal blooms that sprout around campus like winter aconite and snowdrops or the crocus brought by the spring. You may also think of the Ball family homes, statues, or Betty’s Dollhouse in the Oakhurst gardens. Most visitors take walks, read, and photograph the nature surrounding them without seeing the full scope of what Minnetrista’s Horticulture department does. Each year, through programs such as the Pop-up Gardens, the team reaches further into the Muncie community to help improve food insecurity and demonstrate the power of gardening.
The Pop-up
The Pop-up Garden program started in 2017 after four of the leading grocery stores in Muncie closed down, and food deserts worsened in many areas of our community. The Horticulture Manager, James Edwards, began brainstorming how to help with this heightening issue and came up with the Pop-up Garden.
The Pop-up Garden is exactly what it sounds like– a simple, self-contained garden that is entirely ready to plant and optimized for success. The garden is held in a 25-35 gallon grow bag containing one tomato plant, herb, and flower. Each garden is delivered to the participant's home and comes with a bamboo stake ready to support the tomato vine, a bag of organic fertilizer for the season, and basic instructions. James chose these plants because he thinks it's the perfect beginner's garden. The tomato plant is grown from seed and started early in the greenhouse with hopes they are producing fruit soon after they are delivered. The herb can be used for cooking and in combination with the tomato, and the flower helps with beautification. James believes that this combination will empower each pop-up gardener with the confidence to continue growing, whether by starting a garden of their own or continuing their participation in the pop-up garden program. The Horticulture Department wants this to be the catalyst for future gardening, self-sustainability, beautification, and community building.
Extending its Roots
Since its start in 2017, the Pop-up Garden program has grown immensely. The team began by creating and distributing eleven gardens to different locations in the Muncie community. This year, they plan to distribute over 100. Each year has brought more gardens, repeat participants, and some who have outgrown the program by taking gardening into their own hands. Some of the Pop-up Gardens are distributed to organizations in Muncie, including the Ross Community Center, individuals benefiting from Whitely Community Food Pantry, and Motivate Our Minds. These participants can extend the reach of each Pop-up Garden with their connections and service to the community. The gardens are also delivered to individuals involved with the Second Harvest Forward STEPS program and neighborhoods adjacent to Minnetrista. Because the Horticulture Department cultivates and delivers each 25-35 gallon garden, they are limited to certain areas and have to consolidate the deliveries to be mindful of their resources.
In addition to this program, there are areas on Minnetrista’s campus designed to be shared. Community members can pick from the Herb Garden located outside of The Orchard Shop. Behind the Orchard Shop and just beyond the Moon Garden, visitors may also discover the Orchard Garden, where they will find a wide variety of vegetables growing all season long. There’s also a Free Seed Library in the Orchard Garden behind the shop. See our campus map for details. Here, visitors are encouraged to gather seeds from the seed library for their garden, read the gardening information posted on the doors, and share any viable seeds, lightly used pruners, seed catalogs, or any other gardening items.
Keep it Growing
The Pop-up Garden program has helped many families and individuals, and it will continue to thrive through whatever our community faces. If you want to help, the Horticulture team asks that you volunteer during the second Saturday and Tuesday & Thursday Horticulture Volunteer Days. These days are dedicated to planting, watering, and delivering the Pop-up Gardens for a portion of the season. This is what the team will be working on Saturday, April 9, with volunteers. You can also help sustain and grow the program by donating. If you can’t donate time or funds, spread awareness. Learn about gardening and share it with others.
The Horticulture team wants the community to know that gardening can be more than creating beautiful spaces and growing food–which is already so cool! Gardening helps build confidence, independence, security, and a sense of community.
Please email Mary Zwickl if you’re interested in volunteering on Horticulture Volunteer Days. If you want to know more about the Pop-up Garden program or offer services, please email James Edwards. Visit the gardens and access the community resources during operating hours.