A free, hands-on gardening class that’ll teach participants how to start a vegetable garden is coming up at Good Sam’s Food Pantry.
Already, almost 40 people have reserved a place in the class on Wednesday, March 19 starting at 5:30 p.m.
Matt Keefauver, the green thumb who’s teaching the class, said that “worst case, we’ll do a second one,” since that’s a lot of people to teach.
All supplies are provided – and there will be “a broad selection of seeds to plant and take home” – thanks to grant money from the LOR Foundation.
This will be the first class in a series that aims to highlight the different parts of home gardening from seeds to canning.
“It makes sense to start with seeds,” said Keefauver.
It also makes sense to start with talking about the basics of gardening, planting and ideal growing conditions, which is how the class will begin on Wednesday.
Keefauver said he’ll also cover “unusual things,” like planting “tiny seeds you sprinkle on the surface and gently push into the soil versus things like squash, corn or peas that have bigger seeds and you plant at a certain depth.”
With “out of control grocery prices,” it’s great to feel empowered to grow your own food, to be able to pick a tomato from the backyard instead of buying one from the store, said Keefauver.
Plus, gardening is “cathartic” and “seeds don’t talk back.”
Keefauver grew up in rural Illinois with a family of farmers, so he grew up growing and harvesting.
“There’s never been a time I didn’t grow and preserve food,” he said. “I though that’s just what everyone did.”
So although he might not have a formal degree in herbalism, he has years and years of lived experience under his belt in both the plant and teaching arena.
He also volunteers regularly at Good Sam’s, the venue of this workshop, and said that “the pantry is more than a just place where people go to get food.”
It’s about community, self-improvement and helping people live healthier lives- and this workshop is an example of that.
“Every person has the potential to be empowered when it comes to their health and food choices,” Keefauver said. “The more informed choices we can make, the better off we are.”
“And if we can take care of our own bodies, more power to us,” he said.
