Gardener Profile
George Batts
Swope Park Community Gardens
The odds are, on any given day if you come to the Swope Park Community garden, from March to the end of November, you will see George Batts working in his garden. George is definitely one of the “regulars” at the garden and he takes his gardening seriously. It has been a long journey (87 years!) from the farm in Taylor, Texas where George was born and grew up. Stops along the way included Germany in WWII and numerous places in California before coming to settle down in Kansas City in 1995.
On the farm, where his parents were sharecroppers, the family produced all of their own food. They grew corn, cotton, many kinds of vegetables and raised chickens, hogs and calves. They canned produce and sold produce. By the time he was 13 he was doing everything on the farm the same as a full grown man. It was the time of the Great Depression and his family didn’t have much money but they never went hungry and were able to share with others because they produced all their own food.
George has gardened throughout his life and when he heard about the Kansas City Community Gardens from a relative, he decided to try community gardening. He has gardened 6 years at the “Old Ballpark” Community Garden and 5 years at the Swope Park Community Garden since it opened.
When asked about his secret of gardening success, George replies, “Being on top of it – checking that garden every day, not just once a week. If you’re gone a week, the weed and bugs can take over. Attending to that garden is the secret.”
George loves to grow food in his garden. His wife, Bobbie, loves to cook food from the garden and they both love to eat food from the garden. Bobbie, recently retired as a receptionist at St. Luke’s Cardiac Rehab Unit, uses healthy cooking recipes to keep George healthy.
Favorite Crops:
Green Bean ‘Provider’ – “there is no better bean”
‘Celebrity’ Tomato – “always reliable”
Okra – “eat if fried in a wee bit of olive oil”
The best thing about gardening, according to George, is “seeing it grow, it is the most rewarding thing to see how those plants produce that abundance of food. I’m thrilled with it.! Every day that you come – there is something exciting about that garden. Something has happened overnight.”
In the heat of summer, George likes to garden early in the cool of the morning or in the early evening. The hardest part to gardening is “keeping it clean, getting those weeds.” There are very few weeds in George’s garden at any given time. Last year, George won 3rd place the Swope Garden Contest against some very stiff competition.
George has been an active volunteer at KCCG, helping with seed packaging, the gardeners’ barbeques and various activities. His bbq ribs and grilled cabbage have earned him great acclaim among the gardeners and supporters of KCCG.
When asked about gardening at his age (87), George says that he wants to garden as long as he is able. “The key to retirement is to stay active – if you don’t stay active, you won’t be around long,” he says about his retirement of 20 years. Philosophically he adds, “I get tired sooner than I used to, but gardening is good for you.”
