Growing young, urban gardeners
Volunteer Christine Carruthers of Washington shows twin sisters Giovanna, left, and Isabel Derosa what carrot seeds look like during a workshop at the Highland Ridge Community Garden. The workshop was the garden’s first of the season.
Washington & Jefferson College environmental sciences student Lauren Horning tells participants about composting during a workshop at the Highland Ridge Community Garden. The garden, located on the corner of Forrest and Central avenues in Washington, has plots of land available for people who may not be able to plant a garden at their home.
At left, Rachel Spina, 10, left, and LaShauna Carruthers, 10, weed one of the boxes at the Highland Ridge Community Garden. At right, volunteer Christine Carruthers of Washington shows twin sisters Giovanna, left, and Isabel Derosa what carrot seeds look like during a workshop at the garden. The workshop was the garden’s first of the season.
Tomato sprouts spring from the ground in one of the boxes at the Highland Ridge Community Garden. Community member Christine Carruthers said she found the shoots growing naturally from seeds dropped from last year’s fruit and replanted them in a nearby box.
Two young girls approached Sue Ward during a recent workshop at the Highland Ridge Community Garden on the corner of Forest and Central avenues in Washington.
“Is there anything we can do to help?” 10-year-old LaShauna Carruthers asked.
After sending the girls to rake and weed one of the unused planting boxes yet to be prepared for this spring’s planting, Ward smiled.
“It always nice to have some enthusiastic volunteers,” Ward said.
The community garden held its first workshop of the season May 11. It revolved around composting, the use of worms and seed starting and planting.
About a dozen people showed up for the seminar, including a number of children who watched eagerly as Christine Carruthers held a seed in her closed fist.
“What color do you think a carrot seed is?” she said. “And how big do you think it is?”
Twin sisters Giovanna and Isabel Derosa took turns answering orange and black before Carruthers opened her hand revealing a small, tan seed. Groups of participants then planted seeds in potting soil placed in recycled paperboard egg cartons. The cartons could later be cut apart once the seeds had germinated, creating perfectly portable bundles that could be planted in the gardens of the budding cultivators.
Later, local Washington community gardener Clara Harper gave a short introductory lesson on getting the most out of one’s garden. She said urban gardeners had to make sure they used every square foot of their available land and recommended placing plants that would grow tallest at the back of the plot with the shortest placed in front rows.
Harper also spoke about the nutritional benefits of leafy greens, holding a tray of small kale and collard plants.
“Collards are a great source of vitamin C and are very nutritious,” Harper said. “They’re full of antioxidants.”
During the composting portion of the workshop, Washington & Jefferson College environmental studies student Lauren Horning told the group about repurposing vegetable waste into nutrition for their plants.
“You can take this peel and turn it back into soil,” Horning said, guesturing toward an orange peel she held in her hand. “Anything that came from fruits and vegetables at my house we save in buckets and put it outside. Then, we mix it all together and let it sit. Basically, you create an oven.”
Horning explained the process of composting, or adding household vegetable waste to decomposing plant material such as fallen leaves or grass clippings to create a hearty spread for a garden.
“Basically, you can get the nutrients that came from the plants and give it back to the plants,” Horning said.
Horning said the process takes about three months, and gardeners need to help the materials break down by mixing them often. Gardening centers sell large tumblers that can be cranked to mix the materials, but more frugal horticulturalists can make a simple compost heap with as little as a backyard pile and a shovel.
Horning said it was an easy way to become green by keeping vegetable waste out of landfills.
“Plus, this is the best kind of fertilizer you could ever give your plants,” Horning said.
Community garden workshops are held from 1 to 3 p.m. the second Saturday of the month through November. A schedule and more information can be found at www.HighlandRidgeCDC.org.