The 10,000 Garden Challenge is Headed to Kansas City

(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) – The 10,000 Garden Challenge is headed to Kansas City, Mo. The Missouri Department of Agriculture will visit the Westport Plaza Farmers’ Market, Wednesday, May 18 to register gardens, share gardening advice and encourage Missourians to participate in the Challenge.

GardenChallenge_logo2 — AgriMissouri's 10,000 Garden Challenge

The 10,000 Garden Challenge is an initiative to register 10,000 Missouri gardens to promote agriculture, gardening, health and nutrition. Department staff will be at the Kansas City-area farmers’ market from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. near the intersection of Wyoming St. and Westport Rd. to add to the more than 2,800 gardens already registered at AgriMissouri.com.

“The response to the 10,000 Garden Challenge has been outstanding, from individuals and community groups registering their gardens and in terms of support from those in the horticulture industry,” said Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler. “We are excited to take the Challenge to towns throughout Missouri, and to spend time with the people setting an example for the rest of the state by rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands in the soil.”

The Challenge website, AgriMissouri.com, allows individuals, community organizations and school groups to register their gardens. The site also provides classroom activities and lesson plans for teachers, gardening tips and advice and a registry of Missouri’s public gardens.

AUDIO — Click here to hear an interview with AgriMissouri's Charlie Hopper at the Pony Express Farmer's Market in St. Jospeh

On March 14, Governor Nixon, the First Lady, and Director Jon Hagler of the Missouri Department of Agriculture challenged Missourians to register 10,000 gardens in the state of Missouri and put them on a map to promote gardening, health and nutrition throughout the state.

Since then, over 10,000 people have visited the 10,000 Garden Challenge website to gain valuable information and nearly 3,000 gardeners have signed up to help reach the goal of registering 10,000 gardens. As an incentive for registering, for every 1,000 gardens registered a drawing is held for a $500 gift certificate from Tractor Supply Company.

For additional details or to register your garden in the 10,000 Garden Challenge, visit AgriMissouri.com. More information about the Missouri Department of Agriculture and its programs is available online at mda.mo.gov.