Since 2015, the Licking Memorial Health Systems (LMHS) Culinary Services Department, in partnership with Plant Operations, has cultivated and maintained a one-acre vegetable and flower mini-farm on Dickerson Street. A variety of seasonal produce, herbs, and flowers are harvested annually for use in the Main Street Café at Licking Memorial Hospital (LMH). In addition to serving as a supplement for fresh produce and herbs, a part of the mini-farm has been designated a “Seeds of Hope Garden,” an area where cancer patients, survivors, and caretakers can visit for respite.

Participants of LMH’s Cancer Support Group were invited to visit the garden in September to harvest fresh vegetables and cut flowers to create their own arrangement. Facilitated by the LMH Oncology staff, the group offers encouragement, education, and an opportunity for participant discussion. Individuals diagnosed with cancer or are in remission, those who have lost loved ones to cancer, and caregivers are invited to attend the group on the fourth Tuesday of every month. A healthy food option, selected by the Oncology Dietitian, is served at the meeting. Vegetables harvested from the garden were used by Culinary Services to create a dish for one of the meetings. During the summer and fall, produce and flower arrangements from the garden were brought to the cancer support group for participants to take home.

LMHS employs a full-time gardener, Kristina Mohler, to care for the minifarm on Dickerson Street. She has been enthusiastic about supporting the Oncology staff and the Cancer Support Group. Visiting the garden offers the group members an opportunity for activity through gardening and access to fresh produce. Visitors are encouraged to take home anything they harvest. This year’s crop included several varieties of tomatoes, peppers, beans, potatoes, and squash. Kristina has also been growing quinoa and numerous types of wildflowers to encourage pollinators, such as butterflies, to visit the area.