Come raise a pint in support of the Community Garden Coalition! On Friday, April 12 from 5-7pm join Alpine Shop (1102 E. Broadway) for an Al-Pint Fundraiser Night. A donation of $10 will get you a novelty pint cup and two complimentary pours of local beer. All profits go directly to support the Community Garden Coalition and their mission to feed and flower our Columbia community. Thanks so much to Alpine Shop for their support! We hope to see you there ..read more

As we mark the end of another gardening season, many of us are pausing to give thanks and celebrate seasonal bounty. As a community gardener, I am grateful for the continued generosity of the landowner of my garden, my garden leader who shares so much of her time to keep the garden running, and my fellow gardeners who help keep it maintained through the season. And I’m grateful that the Community Garden Coalition organization has backed my garden with supplies, insurance, water, compost, straw and other support. As a longtime CGC board member, I want to express my thanks more broadly to my fel ..read more

Don’t forget about the free Garlic Growing Workshop planned for Monday, August 28! Veteran community garden garlic grower and MU Extension specialist Dhruba Dhakal will have lots of tips for planting, harvest and storage. As you think about your fall garden and the end of the season, planting some garlic makes great use of a portion of your garden plot over the winter! Garlic Production Workshop Monday, August 28 6 p.m. Columbia Public Library, Friends Room 100 W. Broadway, Columbia, MO 65201 Register Here! This workshop is part of our celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Community Gard ..read more

As of our mission to help community gardeners, this year we’ve been focusing on educational opportunities. We’ve offered several workshops with other partners as part of our 40th anniversary celebrations. We also want to let you know about the following free or low-cost classes offered by University Extension presenters to help you deal with drought in your garden, learn how to store your harvest and improve your compost pile. Check out the following offerings and follow the links to register. Another composting workshop is being planned in early August at our Unite4Health garden, so stay tune ..read more

We’re so excited to be co-sponsoring a gardener education workshop this month with the Columbia Public Library! Clear your calendar for Saturday, June 24 and see the details below. No need to register and all gardeners and community members are welcome, teens and adults! Garden Pests and Pollinators: How to Manage for Both in Your Home and Community Garden Saturday, June 24 at 2-3:30 p.m. Columbia Public Library, Friends Room, 100 W. Broadway Mid-Missouri gardeners are bedeviled by all kinds of pests, from tomato hornworms to Japanese beetles, throughout the growing season. The ongoing challe ..read more

The next event in our 40th anniversary workshop series is brought to us by MU Extension and taking place at the Columbia Public Library. Soil and Nutrient Management in the Garden Monday, May 1 at 6 p.m. Columbia Public Library, 100 W. Broadway Please register with MU Extension This program provides education to the local gardeners about soil and nutrient management in their gardens. The speaker will talk about function and composition of soil, and soil organic matter. The standard procedure for soil sampling will be discussed in the meeting. There will be discussion about essential plant nut ..read more

AmeriCorps volunteers helped us get two gardens back in shape! As I mentioned in a previous post, the City recently asked us to re-establish the Britt/Hall community garden by Fire Station 8. That’s a big request because normally that sort of garden work would be done by the gardeners themselves — who, in this case, weren’t an existing group yet. However, board members, Lindsey Smith and Cheryl Jensen were not deterred, and not only stepped up to organize the work but found a wonderful crew of volunteers from AmeriCorps to come in and get this garden ready for spring planting! It wasn’t the wa ..read more

Wow! We are so grateful for all the support received on Giving Tuesday through CoMoGives!!! With over $1,800 received in the first day or our campaign, we’re so happy to have the support of our community as we get ready to celebrate our 40th anniversary in 2023! Thank you so much to those who’ve given! We will put your gifts to good use supporting Columbia’s community gardeners. If you haven’t given, yet, don’t worry — CoMoGives continues through December 31! Just visit our page at CoMoGives.com ..read more

It’s that time of year again when we ask you to consider making a donation to support the Community Garden Coalition via the CoMoGives local giving campaign. This was a great year for our group. We’ve expanded our services with more raised beds and equipment for disabled and elderly gardeners, while increasing the number of neighborhood gardens (check out Britt/Hall at Fire Station #8). But here’s the really big news — we’ll be celebrating our 40th anniversary in 2023! We may be one of the smallest all-volunteer, nonprofits in this area but we are mighty. What started in 1983 as a way to help ..read more

In 2022, the Community Garden Coalition was pleased to help gardens across the city with many improvements. We were able to build and fill raised beds for gardeners with disabilities, a picnic table and purchase top quality compost for various member gardens. We’ve also covered the cost of water during this year’s drought and helped gardens add native plants to their sites. As the year winds down, we are preparing to install a new, larger shed at our Claudell Garden property, and helping to get old garden beds rehabbed and renewed at the Unite4Health garden and at a new member garden at fire s ..read more