Gardeners Gather at Lincoln University to Learn, Connect and Grow

Dr. Dallas Flickinger shows attendees his research fish in a large tub during the tour of Carver farm.

More than 100 gardeners from across Missouri gathered this fall for “Growth Through Gardening: Feeding Our Future,” a three-day Train the Trainer event hosted by Lincoln University of Missouri (LU). The program aimed to equip community garden leaders and growers with knowledge to strengthen local food systems and address food insecurity statewide.

The event, part of Lincoln’s ongoing Train the Trainer series, featured sessions on food safety, pest management, mental health benefits of gardening and more. The series, now in its fourth year, is held twice annually around the start and end of the harvest season.

LU’s Sherry Maxwell, a program assistant out of Charleston, started the initiative when she saw a need for community gardening education and secured grant funding to help establish gardens across Missouri. The program continues to expand through Lincoln University’s Extension programs and partnerships.

Josh Dunne, manager of LU’s commercial kitchen, and Yvonne Matthews, director of the Paula J. Carter Center on Health and Aging, led event coordination.

“We hope to see the farms continue to grow and get bigger,” Dunne said. “And we’d like to see more farms in these food insecure areas so we’re able to feed more people. That’s what we’re here to do.”

Dunne said the project holds special meaning for him — it marks the first major initiative he worked on when he joined Lincoln University as a part-time employee. “We have made great relationships,” he added. “There are so many partnerships that are built through this program.”

State representative Del Taylor shows attendees how he sets up watering systems in his own plants using a simple setup with a water bottle at the bottom of each pot.

Participants included both seasoned farmers and beginners. Chris Coker of Springfield attended for the third time and said she looks forward to the opportunity to connect with other growers and learn new things. This year, a session on pumpkins interested her. Led by LU’s State Specialist for Human Nutrition and Health, Judith Mutamba, attendees learned all above-ground parts of the pumpkin plant are edible. At the banquet, they sampled cooked pumpkin leaves.

“I didn’t know you could eat the leaves,” Coker said. “I tasted a little bit at the banquet. They’re good.” 

Bryan de Valdivia of Lincoln’s Innovative Small Farmers’ Outreach Program said he most valued the networking aspect of the event. “I like finding people from the different regions and my local region to see what interests there are,” he said. “When I attend the sessions, I’m looking more at the questions people are asking and what they’re interested in — it’s kinda like a focus group.”

Educational sessions also included food safety training from Dunne and a food preservation presentation by Dr. Sujan Acharya, assistant professor of food science. Acharya emphasized the importance of proper cooling to prevent bacteria growth.

“Two hours is enough time for deadly bacteria to grow in your food and make you sick,” Acharya said. “If it’s there, it will grow.”

As the event wrapped up, attendees left with new insights, stronger connections and a shared commitment to growing not only their gardens — but their communities as well.

For information on upcoming events in the Train the Trainer series, contact Josh Dunne at DunneJ@lincolnu.edu.