“[The sunflowers] grow over the sidewalk, and it was like a tunnel of sunflowers,” Gummert said. “She also saw a big abundance of mint and our cherry tomatoes. She was amazed you could pick the cherry tomatoes off and eat them. I told her that is how it should be.”

The postal worker told Gummert she wished there were more such practices in her area outside of Marshalltown. That got Gummert thinking about what could be done to provide more food. Inspired to take action, she got on Facebook and worked her magic. Since July 27, the day she started Marshalltown Plant Swap, more than 230 members have joined the Facebook group to trade various plants — tomatoes, cilantro, hostas, succulents and more.

“I am amazed at how much the Marshalltown Plant Swap group has grown so much in a couple weeks,” she said. “Our primary goal is to promote a love of gardening, encouraging the share of plants and knowledge and building a sense of community. There is definitely a need for this. We want people to be more aware and grow our community by having food all around us.”

Seeing the growing number of Marshalltown residents dealing with food insecurity was a driving factor in creating the group.

SUBMITTED PHOTO — The sunflowers growing by the sidewalk outside of Tiffany Gummert’s house have grown to roughly 15 feet. After a conversation with someone who reacted to the sunflowers, she created the Marshalltown Plant Swap group on Facebook.

“We want to provide people with food,” she said. “There’s a lot of people who are struggling to find food. If we can come together and help each other, then that’s one thing people don’t have to worry about. There’s so many people who are going hungry, and I want to help with that. No one should go hungry. I want to provide food for the kids, especially for them to just take a tomato or an apple off of a tree.”

The group is open to people with all gardening experience — from beginners to experts. Gummert said even people who do not have plants, but are interested or hungry, can join.

“I hope members know they can come together and help these people without judging them,” she said.

Gummert said swap group members are encouraged not to sell their plants, even though she is aware that will happen. However, she does not want people to feel pressured to just give their plants away. Swapping with other plant growers is one solution.

“We’re not going to say you can’t sell your plants, but it shouldn’t have to be like that,” Gummert said.

SUBMITTED PHOTO —

She wants the group to support sustainable gardening practices such as reusing and propagating plants.

“Everything will be natural,” Gummert said. “I want to stay away from pesticides so everything is organic.”

The sustainable practices will help reduce waste while enhancing local biodiversity, she said.

Within the next month, Gummert hopes to organize an event during which members can bring their plants, bearing instruction labels, and swap with others. A site for the event has not yet been determined. All varieties of plants — houseplants, perennials, herbs, succulents, trees, vegetables and more — are welcome. The participants can bring seeds, cuttings or whole plants. She added that growers are also encouraged to bring handy plant tips, and share stories of their plants.

“The event will start with a period of browsing to let members see what is available, followed by the actual swap and everyone gets a chance to take home new plants,” Gummert said. “It will be a swap meet for plants.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO — Members of the new Marshalltown Plant Swap group on Facebook post pictures of what they would like to trade. Plants of all kinds are welcome to be swapped.

Scheduling guest speakers and workshops are also something she hopes to accomplish.

“It would help people gain knowledge about different things they don’t know. If they get a tomato plant, do they know how to care for it, how it will grow and different tips and techniques people use,” Gummert asked. “As well as which plants are poisonous to animals or to people, plants that shouldn’t be in the garden.”

She would also like to get other Marshalltown entities involved, such as the community college and the Marshall County Iowa State University Extension office.

“We hope to also partner with schools and local organizations to promote gardening to a wider audience,” Gummert said.

Eventually, she hopes to expand to other social media platforms, such as Instagram and X, but wants to determine what the needs of the group will be.

“Ultimately, we want to continue growing our community and fostering a love of gardening in as many people as possible,” she said.

JOINING PLANT SWAP:

The Facebook group is open to anyone interested. Gummert said all they need to do is join the Marshalltown Plant Swap page, email her at tgummert09@gmail.com or text her at 641-387-9508. Events will be posted on the page and on Marshall County Outreach.

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.