New Roots Kicks Off Fall Garden Club for Kids

Children water swiss chard and spinach at New Roots Youth Garden Fall Garden Club. (Photo: Tammy Holloway)

By TAMMY HOLLOWAY

October 3, 2013

A total of 25 kids from Cape Charles Christian, Kiptopeke, Home School, and Broadwater are participating in New Roots Youth Garden’s Fall Garden Club, a 7-week program held Thursdays from 4-5 p.m.

Club participants are planting and tending fall crops to be harvested and sold at the New Roots Farm Stand, an initiative that began during the 2013 Summer Garden Club. By creating and running a farm stand, the children learn many facets of business, including economics, handling money, sales, and customer service.

NRYG received several generous donations that made it possible to create the farm stand. The Virginia State University Farm Stand Extension donated many supplies, including a canopy tent, baskets, chalkboards, a calculator and a cash box. Also, the United Way of Virginia’s Eastern Shore selected New Roots Youth Garden as a Community Partner in 2013, allocating over $4,500 to supplement the existing program. Part of the United Way funds will be used to expand and market the farm stand, and the remaining funds will be used to perform infrastructure upgrades in the garden, such as installing a dry well, a shallow well, and a pump station.

CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE

It’s not too late for your child to attend the Fall Garden Club! Participation is free, and children ages 6-12 (or 5 and under with an adult) are welcomed to attend as many weeks as their busy schedules will allow. Garden gurus will be in attendance at each session, giving lessons about planting, tending, and harvesting fall crops.

The last Fall Garden Club will be Thursday, November 14, but the community can still enjoy the children’s harvest over the Thanksgiving Holiday in the form of a pie! The 3rd Annual NRYG Thanksgiving Pie Sale will kicked off October 1 with two offerings from the kitchen of Chef Amy Brandt: a Mocha Pecan Pie and a Sweet Potato Cheesecake Pie. Visit the New Roots website (www.nryg.webs.com) for more information and to order your pies!

To enroll your child in the Fall Garden Club, contact Jen Lewis at (757) 331-3259 x18 or [email protected]. Also, you can find New Roots Youth Garden on Facebook (www.facebook.com/newrootsyouthgarden). Like our page to receive updates, pictures, and reminders about Garden activities. See you in the garden!