Mission garden will feed the needy

Right now, it’s a large patch of dirt.

But this summer, scrumptious, vibrantly-colored vegetables will gleam from a sea of green.

Or so the city of Mission hopes.

The small town has broken ground for a new community garden at the corner of Foxridge and Lamar, on a vacant portion of the Johnson County wastewater’s treatment property.

The garden is the city’s way of addressing sustainability and poverty.

Produce from the garden will be donated to Mission families who qualify as special needs, based on their income level.

Excess produce will be given to local food banks.

City officials also hope the garden will educate the public on the benefits of home-grown produce and teach valuable skills.

“I’ve seen farms during car drives but never made a connection to the actual farmland,” said Josh Rauch, the city’s administrative intern. “This project is a great learning experience for people like me who simply go to grocery stores and don’t know the process behind where the food came from.”

Rauch started organizing the volunteer-run project last summer, when someone brought up the idea at a city meeting.

For the past year, he has immersed himself in learning every aspect of the gardening world. He started a gardening committee for the city. He even got help from local experts, such as Chelsey Wasem, a Johnson County extension agent specializing in horticulture.

She has been helping Mission with the behind-the-scenes aspect of the garden, such as vegetable preparation, tips on planting, and training volunteers on maintenance.

In past years, Wasem has helped other cities, including Lenexa and Olathe, create similar community gardens. After attending several recent garden committee meetings with Rauch, she’s already impressed with Mission’s ambitious spirit.

“Hopefully, this garden will set an example for other areas, such as businesses or homes, with idle pieces of land,” she said. “It could really boost the local economy if people just go straight to their own backyards for fresh produce.”

The garden expert would also like to see families who benefit from the community garden’s produce come out and help with the maintenance. She thinks it would be a fun learning experience for organizations, such as Boy and Girl Scout troops, schools, and churches.

Before people get their hands dirty, however, she warns them of the hard work necessary behind the commitment.

“It’s always fun to get started, but come July, when there are 100 tomatoes to be harvested and weeds everywhere, it can get intimidating for some people,” Wasem said. “I prepare the volunteers for what goes into taking care of a garden and encourage them every step of the way. I’m kind of like their cheerleader.”

She’s also pleased that Mission wants to start out slowly, instead of rushing into a huge, elaborate ordeal.

Approximately 1,060 square feet of planting space will hold vegetables, such as beans, peas, carrots, peppers, lettuce, and tomatoes. It’s a modest endeavor for the city, Wasem pointed out.

Rauch agrees.

“We want to start out simple — nothing too exotic for our first time,” he said. “This garden is a learning process for the city, so we don’t want to promise too much. We just want to see how it goes.”

Both he and Wasem are optimistic the garden will grow even bigger next year, once the city gets its feet wet.

The city is looking for volunteers interested to help with the planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting in the garden.