Each spring, neighbors interested in gardening here visit for a garden walk-and-talk. It it’s not completely snowed under, we walk the garden together.
One visitor asked about joining the garden and bringing her students regularly. She said they usually have hands-on training in the morning and classroom learning in the afternoon. The students are part of ReSOURCE YouthBuild, a program where 16-to-24-year-olds learn construction skills and earn trade certifications.
YouthBuild students are a welcome addition to the garden!
Since the season began, YouthBuild students have planted seeds and seedlings, watered and weeded beds, harvested crops, and dug out sod as part of the garden’s ongoing project to replace grass walkways with wood chips.
These budding gardeners say: “We get to help out our community by taking care of crops, watering all the plants, and picking weeds.”
“This is a really good learning spot to go to if you want to start your own garden. They will show you want you need to do.”
“We used some of the onions and carrots to make fried rice today. One of them was so excited, it turned out so well, he’s going to surprise his mom by cooking it for dinner,” Johanna reported.
Most rewarding of all, for everyone involved, is being part of a garden.
“I like the garden because of learning how to tend to crops. In the future, if I start a garden, I will know how to take care of them.”
“I enjoy the garden for the sunlight and the weeding, and impacting the community. I just enjoy being in the garden.”
Growing, tending, harvesting, preparing, eating, and sharing fresh crops is essential community education and development.
