JAMESTOWN — Prairie Rose Garden Club members were lined up to participate in the Buffalo Days Parade earlier this summer, talking about all the activities they could do related to gardening in Jamestown, said Laurie Podoll, club member. They thought it was too bad all of those things couldn’t be found in one place.
That’s when they got the idea to make a calendar with those things, which is now available for purchase.
The Prairie Rose Garden Club 2026 calendar isn’t really about fundraising, Podoll said. It’s more about education, in keeping with the club’s mission to cultivate the love and knowledge of gardening and horticulture, and promote environmental stewardship, community beautification and community engagement, she said. The calendar is a way to provide education to the public about what’s available in Jamestown and community improvement. She said she hopes they can help people expand or improve their gardening interests or skills.
“I think the calendar just promotes a sense of unity and a sense that we really need to start taking care of ourselves … be concerned about our food sources, our environment, what nature really can do for us health-wise and spiritually and mentally,” Podoll said.
The calendar contains local gardening-related activities and events. It’s intended to appeal to everyone, including people who don’t want to garden but want inspiration, such as that provided by the AAUW Garden Tour.
“So every time they flip a month on the calendar and they can see that there’s all these … opportunities too, either classes through NDSU, which are always free, or to get started on gardening, there’s the (Jamestown) Seed Library, there’s the Community Gardens, there’s all those kind of connections,” Podoll said. “Or just that people need to be aware that we have a Farmers Market and that people can be eating locally, and have control. Locally, we’re not putting a bunch of chemicals in our vegetables, and so there are opportunities to eat better just within Jamestown.”
She said she thinks Jamestown is fortunate to have so many free gardening opportunities and the Seed Library and resources at the Library of Things at the Stutsman County Library, which can cut costs for people wanting to garden.
Podoll consulted with various sources in the community to come up with a list of what’s happening and whether those events are open or closed to the public.
The cover of the calendar has contact information for Prairie Rose Garden Club, Jamestown Seed Library, the city forester, the Community Gardens, the Farmers Market and NDSU Extension – Stutsman County.
“So even if someone might find the calendar confusing or maybe doesn’t understand what some of those committees or meetings or opportunities really mean, there’s still all the information where they can contact somebody and figure out what’s going on,” Podoll said.
She said while it was important to have the gardening information in one place, it was also important for the calendar to be pretty, too. Each month has a collage of five to six pictures, she said. Podoll said most of the pictures are her photos due to the late start they got in creating the calendar. All the pictures are of local subjects except for one, she said. She credited Reese Carter with the NDSU Extension – Stutsman County office for her work to make the calendar come together quickly.
Jamestown had a difficult year with storms that caused a lot of damage to trees, gardens and flowers, Podoll said.
“… we just thought this calendar, you know, (is) kind of showing people that we’re surviving, there’s still all kinds of opportunities, we’re moving on and to just look at that beauty every month on the calendar after the year we had. Kind of part of the healing,” she said.
There are only 100 calendars available for purchase, Podoll said. The cost is $15. People interested in getting a calendar may contact her at 701-269-2498 or any Prairie Rose Garden Club member.
The Prairie Rose Garden Club was founded in the 1950s, Podoll said, and currently has 17 members. The club meets at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month from March through November at Trinity Lutheran Church.
The club is open to anyone, Podoll said. Dues are $15 a year. They offer a training program every month, she said.
“Our club is really whatever level you want to participate… there’s no pressure,” Podoll said.
The club takes care of Stadium Park near the University of Jamestown, but not all of the members help with that project, she said. Some of the club members also go on out-of-town tours to view gardens, she said.
Podoll noted there are other opportunities for people to participate in activities in Jamestown.
“I’m on the forestry board, and once a year we have Arbor Day, and we’re always looking for people who just want to come participate in Arbor Day or help plant trees or do things with that committee,” she said.
There are also Master Gardeners in Jamestown who are available to answer people’s questions. The Master Gardener program is available through NDSU and the local club offers scholarships to help with cost of going through that program, Podoll said.
Kathy Steiner has been the editor of The Jamestown Sun since 1995. She graduated from Valley City State College with a bachelor’s degree in English and studied mass communications at North Dakota State University, Fargo. She reports on business, government and community topics in the Jamestown area. Reach her at 701-952-8449 or ksteiner@jamestownsun.com.
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