PH Garden Readies for Spring Improvements

Dorri Partain
Managing Editor

The Pendleton Heights Community Garden may be blanketed with snow, but planning for the spring planting season is well underway, as neighbors and gardeners came together on Wednesday, Jan. 21 to share ideas and insights.

PH Coffee (2200 Lexington) was the site for the evening’s Conservation Cafe, coordinated by garden steward Whitney Barnardo and Tessa Poolman from the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center. 42 participants enjoyed a dinner featuring pizza from Northeast Pizza, salad, donuts and drinks as they discussed best ways to improve the garden and its amenities and additional programming.

Table hosts lead conversations at each table and scribes recorded ideas and responses, including more shaded areas, adding picnic tables with seating, a better watering system and rinsing station, walking paths and a children’s edible garden, along with muilti-lingual signage.

Funding for these improvements and programming comes from two grants received last year. The City’s PLANT (Promoting Local Agriculture and Neighborhood Transformation) Grant awarded $5794.00 for materials and labor, which will be used to build new raised beds and regrade the entire garden. Programming is being funded through a micro-grant awarded from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) through the Missouri River Bird Observatory (MRBO) for three events to promote environment education.

Barnardo stated in an email that “MRBO’s mission is to teach science, education and advocacy, through natural resources and conservancy leading people to be good stewards of the natural environment.”

“ As we were discussing grants, goals and ongoing projects,” stated Barnardo, “Tessa suggested a Conservation Café to capture input from the community. The Conversation Café model comes in to create impactful, tailored conversations for communities to connect with other educators.”

This programming began last year with a Seed Saving Workshop at the PH Pocket Park. On November 11, 2025, 45 students from Scuola Vita Nuova Charter School (535 Garfield Ave.), five students from PH Community School and additional volunteers and teachers participated.

According to Barnardo, “MRBO explained how birds feed off the different plants growing in the Pocket Park, showed how seeds grow on different plants/trees/shrubs and then we had students rotate through collecting, packaging and drinking Gomphrena tea from the seeds collected in the Pocket Park. PH Coffee served sack lunches, to the delight of all.”

Seeds that were collected that day will be available on March 14, during the Community Seed Swap. Location will be weather dependent; warm weather will allow the event at the Pocket Park or it may move inside at Show Me KC Schools at 2201 Lexington, across from the Pocket Park. The remainder of the EPA grant funding will be used to create a native plant bed inside the community grade, once the grading and raised beds have been completed.

Barnardo hopes work will begin in March, if the ground is warm enough. Once work is complete, beds will be offered first to gardeners from the previous season, then Pendleton Heights residents. Any remaining spaces will be offered to anyone interested.

The PH Community Garden has been located at the intersection of Brooklyn and Minnie avenues since 2015, operating as a volunteer site with assistance from Jerusalem Farm, Urban Produce Push and other organizations. To offer assistance or if you have an interest in bed spaces, contact Barnardo at: garden@phkc.org

For previous coverage of the 2025 PLANT Grant awards, visit https://northeastnews.net/pages/neighborhood-garden-orchard-receive-plant-grant-funding/