Community Garden Club at Family Health Expo

A Family Health Expo was held at the Falls County Community Health Clinic on Saturday, Nov. 11. The Family Health Expo provided relevant resources and programs tailored for the unique needs of Falls County. 

The Community Garden Club of  Marlin, the first gardening (founded in 1923) and still continuously operating club in the state of Texas, was there. Along with answering questions and describing the ease of container gardening, Gardener Letitia Estep emphasized the benefits to health from gardening. 

Gardening burns a lot of calories. It can lower one’s blood pressure. Spending time outside is good for one’s bones. Growing one’s own food can help one eat åçmore healthily. Gardening can relieve stress. By sharing vegetables or gardening experiences, it can provide a source of community. Gardening can make one happier.

   Questions on how to start seeds indoors, when to transplant, and what vegetables for what seasons were asked. The most frequently asked question was how long does it take to grow spinach? Answer: Spinach takes about six weeks to grow from being sown to harvesting! Plus, spinach grows beautifully in this season! 

A large round black bag containing soil, a starter pot, super growing pellets, spinach seeds, and a pair of gardening gloves was given to each person who stopped by. There was also literature with diagrams and how-to steps. Time to start container gardening!

The Health Expo was presented by the Community Conversations on Health, a collaboration between Texas A&M Agri-Life Extension’s Family & Community Health Unit and the Texas Department of State Health Services.