Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Youngsters tend to their own 4-H gardens
Youngsters across the Roanoke Valley are getting set to sow seeds and tend to their own 4-H gardens.
Stephanie Klein-Davis | The Roanoke Times
Nelson Stanley and Emily Taylor look over a seed pack with planting instructions during a 4-H program at Penn Forest Elementary School in Roanoke County. Students in Sheri Dolan's science classes are planting 4-H gardens this spring.
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Sometimes Josh Vest eats so many tomatoes he can feel the acidity build up in his mouth.
In a few months, 9-year-old Josh will be able to eat as many tomatoes as he can get his hands on, and he's sure they will taste even better because they will be from his own garden.
Josh, along with 60 of his Penn Forest Elementary School classmates and fourth-graders from all over the Roanoke Valley will be planting backyard gardens later this month as part of the Roanoke Valley 4-H School/Home Garden Project.
The garden project -- which has been active in the Roanoke region for decades -- is open to any fourth-grade classroom in Roanoke, Roanoke County or Salem. Each student needs first the support of his or her teacher and then the support of a parent.
Sheri Dolan, the fourth-grade science teacher at Penn Forest, has been participating in the garden program with her classroom for five years. This year, more than half of her students are participating in the optional project.
As she will tell any of her students, gardening can be a lot of work. Dolan's dad -- a former Virginia Tech professor -- had the biggest garden in the neighborhood when she was a child, and she has done her fair share of weeding.
"Children don't get a chance to do that now," said Dolan, who thinks suburban gardening is becoming more popular. "With the emphasis lately on going green, I think it's caught the interest of parents and students as well."
While youngsters might not know how much they will save on vegetables, Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent and 4-H Youth Development Coordinator Leslie Prillaman said the students will find out.
As they tend to their gardens, participating students will also keep a project log.
It asks questions such as: If you were to go into Kroger, how much would you pay for the vegetables that you just produced?
"And most of them have no idea what mom and dad pay for them," Prillaman said. "So it's a real good eye-opener."
Both Prillaman and Dolan said that this is truly a family project.
Brayden Guthrie, 10, will garden with his grandmother in Vinton.
Morgan Leftwich and Ariana Jones, both 10, and their moms will garden together.
"My mom has always wanted a family garden so we could eat some of it," said Ariana.
Students will receive their seed kits by the end of the month and begin planting in May.
Throughout the summer, master gardener volunteers will visit the students' gardens to give encouragement and gardening advice and eventually judge the results.
Then, in addition to being invited to show at the Salem Fair in early July, students will receive ribbons and awards in the fall.
The students at Penn Forest are thrilled at the prospect of ribbons -- but it's the gardening experience that has them hooked.
"I'm excited ... about getting to eat the food that [I] grow," said Josh. "Letting all that work go to good use."
