Garden in a Box grows bonds across generations
In greater Minnesota, gardening has become a gateway to wellness, education and community for rural Latino immigrant families. In collaboration with the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, Extension’s Garden in a Box program launched in 2021 as a way to connect during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Families without access to land signed up to receive the soil, seeds, tools and knowledge needed to grow fresh fruits and vegetables at home. Three generations — kids, parents and grandparents — spent time outdoors helping each other water plants and weed beds, swapping tips and produce, and bonding over shared experiences.
Through word-of-mouth from happy participants and outreach by Extension health/nutrition and family resiliency educators, such as Silvia Alvarez de Davila, the program expanded every year in many locations, including Dodge Center.
Highlights
- Master Gardeners in Dodge County were instrumental in the relocation of a community garden in Dodge Center to the Fairview Care Center. Under volunteer guidance and hands-on assistance, the site was prepared and amended for healthy soil and planted with a variety of vegetables.
- Dodge County has the oldest county fair in Minnesota. The 168th Dodge County Free Fair took place in July 2025.
- In the land of 10,000 lakes, Dodge County has none. However, the county is currently exploring the conversion of a limestone quarry into its first lake.
- Shane Wilhelm, general manager at Richmond Turkey Farms/Feed Milling & Bedding Company, is in Class 13 of the Minnesota Agricultural and Rural Leadership (MARL) program.
- Two 4-H’ers from Dodge County earned Purple Ribbons and Community Impact awards for their projects at the State Fair: Ruby Kellogg’s project on improving sports performance through better nutrition and Raelyn Paulsen’s trifold project on Leading with Llamas.
- U of M Farm Family of the Year: The West family
Dodge County office
Extension has 14 regional offices supporting all 87 counties in Minnesota.
Dodge County partners with Extension to deliver practical education and research you can use at home, at work and in your community. More about Extension in our county.
About the Minnesota 87 project
Spend time in any Minnesota county, and you will almost certainly encounter University of Minnesota Extension. Our faculty and staff, volunteers, participants, alumni and partners are woven into the fabric of rural, urban and suburban Minnesota life. This project showcases Extension in action through photos, stories and a sampling of the many ways Extension has touched the lives of people in every county.