Grants help P.L.A.N.T. Washington grow food, education and community connections

WASHINGTON — Even as winter hits full swing in Southeast Iowa, P.LA.N.T. Washington Community Orchard and Gardens participants eagerly await spring 2026 when they can put to use generous grants recently received.

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P.L.A.N.T. has secured nearly $5,000 in new grant funding that leaders say will strengthen food production, expand infrastructure and deepen community engagement as the organization looks ahead to the 2026 growing season.

The community-based gardening organization recently received two grants totaling $4,976: a $2,000 Working Here Fund grant from Farm Credit Services of America and a $2,976 fall grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation. Together, the grants will support expanded growing practices, new garden structures, improved soil health and additional storage for volunteers and gardeners.

This funding reflects growing recognition of P.L.A.N.T.’s role in helping individuals and families grow nutritious food while fostering connection through shared work, education and conversation.

The $2,000 Working Here Fund grant will support P.L.A.N.T.’s “Growing Stronger, from Roots to Sky” project, scheduled for spring 2026.

The project focuses on increasing fresh food production through vertical gardening techniques, soil improvement and targeted education for gardeners of all experience levels.

“This project will help P.L.A.N.T. gardeners and volunteers significantly increase production in our community gardens and orchards,” P.L.A.N.T. Site Manager Kerrie Willis said.

Funds from the Working Here Fund grant will be used to purchase materials to build and install 10 garden tunnel trellises, along with high-quality mulch, seeds and plant starts. The trellises will allow crops to grow vertically, helping gardeners maximize space while improving ease of harvest and overall garden accessibility.

Willis said the arch-shaped trellises will be tall enough for most adults to walk under, transforming how plants grow within the garden beds.

“We want to use more of our space by planting and letting the plants grow up,” Willis said. “We also want to make things look visually more interesting and more fun, especially for our younger visitors. We also want to make harvest easier, and we're hoping that these arch trellises, forming kind of a little tunnel, many tunnels, are going to help us do that.”

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In addition to food crops, P.L.A.N.T. leaders said flowers such as zinnias play an important role in the gardens. The brightly colored blooms add visual interest throughout the growing season and help attract pollinators to the site. Willis said flowers like zinnias make the gardens more welcoming for visitors while supporting the overall health of the growing space.

Willis said visual appeal and accessibility are important components of P.L.A.N.T.’s mission to create a welcoming environment for gardeners, volunteers and visitors.

Education remains a core focus of the Growing Stronger project. P.L.A.N.T. plans to provide guidance and instruction for novice gardeners, helping participants understand best practices for vertical gardening, soil health and crop selection.

“P. L. A. N. T. will provide guidance and education for novice gardeners to ensure they can maximize their production through best practices,” Willis said. “We’ll use vertical gardening to raise nutrition-dense, climbing crops — saving bed space, and making harvest easier and more productive. Lastly, we’ll use mulch to improve soil health, fight weeds, hold soil moisture, and reduce plant disease.”

Mulching will play a key role in improving soil conditions throughout the gardens as it helps retain moisture, suppress weeds and reduce plant stress, allowing gardeners to focus more on planting, tending and harvesting.

The project also includes plans to create what P.L.A.N.T. leaders call “superfood gardens,” featuring nutrient-dense crops, particularly cruciferous vegetables from the brassica family. Planned plantings include kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, radishes, cauliflower, cabbage and arugula.

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“These are all cruciferous veggies that are packed with all kinds of good stuff that should fight cancer,” Willis said. “We’re very excited to try these out in spring of 2026.”

Climbing crops will play a central role in the vertical gardening effort. Planned varieties include beans, cucumbers, peas, gourds and cucamelons, also known as Mexican sour gherkins. These plants will grow upward along the trellises, freeing space in garden beds and allowing for higher-density planting.

Herbs also will be expanded within the community gardens. Planned varieties include dill, thyme, basil, parsley, chives, sorrel and lemon balm. These herbs will provide both culinary and educational value and are popular among gardeners and visitors.

Seeds purchased through the Working Here Fund grant will be planted in community garden beds, shared with P.L.A.N.T.’s rental gardeners and distributed through seed swaps and seed-starting events. These efforts are designed to help extend the reach of the gardens beyond the physical site, encouraging food production at home and strengthening community connections.

Willis credited Farm Credit Services of America and the Washington County Riverboat Foundation for supporting the organization’s work, along with seed contributions from Alliance of Native Seedkeepers, Sow True Seeds, Botanical Interests Seeds and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

“Thank you to Farm Credit Services of America for our seed money,” Willis said, “and to Washington County Riverboat Foundation for funding the community garden beds and soil.”

P.L.A.N.T. Washington was one of 82 organizations selected to receive a Working Here Fund grant during the third quarter of 2025. Farm Credit Services of America awarded more than $274,000 during the grant cycle that ended Sept. 30, 2025.

“As a cooperative owned by farmers and ranchers, we understand the importance of putting food on our neighbor’s table,” Kye Kolpin, regional vice president of customer experience in FCSAmerica’s Mt. Pleasant office said in a press release about the grant.

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In addition to expanding food production, P.L.A.N.T. continues to invest in infrastructure that supports volunteers and long-term sustainability. That effort received support through the $2,976 fall grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation, which will fund construction of a new garden shed at the community garden site.

The shed will provide on-site storage for tools and supplies and will be accessible to volunteers working in both the gardens and the orchard. Leaders said the addition will improve efficiency, reduce the need to transport equipment and help streamline daily operations.

The Washington County Riverboat Foundation serves as the nonprofit license holder for Riverside Casino & Golf Resort and provides grant funding to local communities and nonprofit organizations.

In 2025, the foundation awarded 15 spring grants, 19 fall grants, eight municipal grants and four surprise grants totaling more than $6.4 million. Since 2006, the foundation has awarded more than $76 million.

Leaders said the new shed will support P.L.A.N.T.’s ongoing programming and maintenance efforts, making it easier for volunteers to access tools and participate in gardening activities.

Through its community orchard and gardens, P.L.A.N.T. brings together volunteers, rental gardeners and visitors, creating opportunities for hands-on learning and relationship building. The organization’s emphasis on accessibility and education helps remove barriers to gardening and encourages participation from people with a wide range of backgrounds and abilities.

With both grants secured, Willis said P.L.A.N.T. leaders and volunteers are already preparing for the coming seasons and looking ahead to spring planting.

“I am dreaming of spring,” she said, “and excited to put our hands in the dirt and get these seeds started and start growing and harvesting in spring and summer 2026.”

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com