Several Daviess County communities showed off their gardening prowess during the Missouri Garden Cities Contest. The contest included 731 communities and was part of the effort to map 10,000 gardens throughout the state. The winner was the city with the most gardens registered in its population category.
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Gallatin had seven gardens registered and Jamesport had two gardens registered for 500-2,500 residents. Winston had three gardens and McFall had one garden for city’s less than 500.
The contest was sponsored by Missouri Department of Agriculture’s AgriMissouri. The program encourages Missourians to connect to agriculture by growing fresh produce, native plants and ornamental flowers in their backyards and communities. More than 10,000 Missouri gardeners registered their plots during the challenge, which ran March through December."
Nothing makes you value the freshness and quality of buying food locally than trying to grow it yourself, and it is outstanding to see so many Missourians supporting agriculture in their communities," said Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler. "We are proud to recognize communities whose residents have shown an outstanding commitment to fresh produce and agricultural education through their gardens."
The Garden Cities Contest champions by category were Hartsburg – Less than 500 residents; Ashland – 500-2,500 residents; Holts Summit – 2,501-5,000 residents; Boonville – 5,001-10,000 residents; Fulton – 10,001-20,000 residents; Jefferson City – 20,001-50,000 residents; Columbia – 50,001-150,000 residents; Kansas City – Over 150,000 residents
A list of all participants in the Garden Cities Contest is available online at http://agrimissouri.com/gardens/gardencities.php and includes the final contest ranking for each community.
The contest was part of the 10,000 Garden Challenge, which kicked off last spring in St. Louis with an announcement by Gov. Jay Nixon, First Lady Georganne Nixon and Dr. Jon Hagler
To register your garden and find helpful tips to get growing, visit http://agrimissouri.com/gardens/.
For more information on the Missouri Department of Agriculture and its programs, visit http://mda.mo.gov.