Prairie Rose Garden Club Publishes Local Gardening Calendar for 2026

Jamestown residents now have a single resource to track gardening events and local horticulture services after the Prairie Rose Garden Club produced a 2026 calendar, available beginning November 29, 2025. The calendar lists monthly gardening activities and includes contact information for the Prairie Rose Garden Club, Jamestown Seed Library, the city forester, the Community Gardens, the Farmers Market and NDSU Extension in Stutsman County.

Club member Laurie Podoll said the project is intended as an educational tool rather than a fundraiser. “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 club produced only 100 copies, priced at $15 each, and residents may contact Podoll at 701-269-2498 or any Prairie Rose Garden Club member to purchase one.

The calendar compiles free and low cost offerings that help reduce barriers to gardening. Podoll highlighted free classes through NDSU Extension, the Jamestown Seed Library and the Library of Things at the Stutsman County Library as tools that lower start up costs for residents who want to grow food or beautify yards. “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.

Visually the calendar aims to boost morale after a year of storm damage to trees and gardens. Each month features a collage of five to six mostly local photographs, largely taken by Podoll, with one non local image. Podoll credited Reese Carter at the NDSU Extension Stutsman County office for helping the project come together quickly. “… 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.

The Prairie Rose Garden Club traces its roots to the 1950s 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, and annual dues are $15. Podoll noted additional engagement opportunities in Jamestown, including Arbor Day activities through the forestry board and local Master Gardener resources, with scholarships available from the club to offset training costs. “Our club is really whatever level you want to participate… there’s no pressure,” she said.

Beyond the modest sales revenue, the calendar is intended to strengthen local networks that support food security, volunteer stewardship of public green spaces and community resilience. For residents looking to start gardening or reconnect after a difficult season, the calendar centralizes where to find classes, seed swaps, volunteer projects and market information.