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Growing Gardens Programs
The Ithaca Children's Garden Growing Gardens Programs aims to get children intimately involved with gardens of their own by immersing them in every aspect, from planning to harvest. The Growing Gardens Programs provide opportunities to learn horticultural skills, explore garden ecology, learn more about where our food comes from, and try new vegetables, all while having fun and being active outdoors.
Salad Garden
With three seasons under our belt, over 70 youth have grown their own salad at the Ithaca Children's Garden. Salad Gardens are great because you can plant in May and be munching on big bowls of salad by June. This makes it an ideal after school activity. The Ithaca Children's Garden hosts two youth groups each spring. The program begins in April with a design session.
In groups of 2-3, youth choose which lettuces, greens, herbs, edible flowers, and other salad veggies they'd like to grow and create a design that's as visually interesting as it is yummy. Planting sessions happen the first week in May and we meet each week after that to care for our garden plots. We plan a Salad Party for mid-June. Friends and family join us as we celebrate the harvest.
Ugly Vegetable Garden
Never be shy about sharing a good idea. The Ugly Vegetable Garden came from Maria-Lian Glander's great idea. She had participated in the Salad Garden Program the year before and had been reading The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin. Wanting to cook the soup in the book but needing the veggies to do so, she suggested we grow them at the Ithaca Children's Garden. What a great idea!
For two seasons, a portion of the Growing Gardens has been devoted to growing the Asian vegetables featured in The Ugly Vegetables book. A great partnership with Families with Children from China and the Ithaca Asian American Association helped get this garden started. The season-long program begins in late May with a design session. Seeds and transplants go in by mid-June and every other Saturday over the course of the summer we get together to care for our garden plots and other fun activities. On Labor Day weekend we celebrate the harvest by cooking the soup featured in the book.
Volunteer with the Growing Gardens Program
Volunteering with the Growing Gardens Program is a great way to get involved with a longer-term program. Salad Garden programs meet for two hours each week between mid-April and mid-June, usually on weekday afternoons. The Ugly Vegetable Garden program meets on Saturday mornings from May through September. Both offer a chance to engage youth in hands-on gardening. No gardening experience is necessary, just a willingness to encourage youth and get dirty. For more information on volunteering with Growing Gardens Programs, contact Leigh at 607-272-2292 ext. 186 or lam26@cornell.edu.
Photo Gallery
Choosing which veggies you want to grow is the first step
in creating your design.
Volunteer Mya teaches us how to get started.
Planting seeds is the first step.
Weeding, thinning, watering....
Harvesting and cooking!
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615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca, NY 14850-3555. 607 272 2292, fax: 607 272 7088