Press Release: Garden Workshop

August 15, 2023

No land, no worries. Container gardening is a growing option for city and rural folks alike and the
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission is sponsoring free workshops to promote growth
and community connection through the joy of cultivating plants.

Members of the South Central Massachusetts Partnership for Public Health, which includes the Boards
of Health in Auburn, Brimfield, Dudley, Oxford, Southbridge, and Webster, have collaborated with
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission on a series of free workshops designed around
the health and wellness benefits of gardening in small spaces.

Gardeners of varied levels of experience attended two workshops at the Dudley Fire Station on August
13, 2023. The morning and midday sessions unfolded as an informative, hands-on exploration of fungi,
mushrooms, and medicinal plants. These engaging and educational sessions fostered gardening skills
and a sense of community among the participants.

Educators Michael B. Del Rio and Taina Vargas, who work at The Farm School
(https://farmschool.org/), led the workshops that explored the medicinal benefits of various mushrooms,
herbs and plants. Participants learned how to create a mushroom growing tree log and meld bees wax
with various organics to make salve.

A workshop in Brimfield is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. September 23 and plans are coming together for
future workshops in Webster and Southbridge.

The Container Gardening Workshop Series are supported by AARP. For more information on the
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, visit www.cmrpc.org

<photo: from left workshop participant Mary Bertrand, instructors Michael B. Del Rio and Taina Vargas