Jefferson City has won first place in its population bracket in the 10,000 Garden Challenge, earning a proclamation declaring it a Missouri Garden City.
Between March and December 2011, the city registered 386 gardens in the competition, which was hosted by the Missouri Department of Agriculture's AgriMissouri Program to raise awareness of everyone's ability to produce food, promote the importance of those who do produce food and cultivate an interest in gardening. The city's achievement also earned a Silver Spade Award from AgriMissouri.