THJCA Garden Manager, Kitty Wallace, gives us her take on how she has introduced youth in the community to gardening as a way of life.
Sometimes, its not so easy to introduce gardening to young children. From insects to green vegetables, many youth are not exposed to a gardening environment and the benefit of eating from the earth. Garden Director Kitty Wallace explains her unique way of transitioning THJCA youth in to proud and active gardening.
“ It wasn't my intention to be sneaky....I wanted to teach the kids how to harvest green beans and if a few of them learned to eat beans right out of the garden, that would be a cherry on top. They learned to harvest beans and kale, each child ate a leaf. They have gotten so they just assume that they are going to eat leaves when they come to the garden...or flowers. One young man asked me today if we were going to eat flowers. ” - Kitty Wallace
Gardening is a standard activity in the THJCA Aftershool and Summer program. To learn more about the Tampa Heights Community Garden visit their website.