It's National Gardening Day!
Izzie Malkani, Communications and Development Associate
The month of April is National Gardening Month!
Specifically, today, April 14th is National Gardening Day. It’s all about encouraging gardeners or aspiring gardeners to dig in, grow plants, and enjoy all the beauty that gardening has to offer. Our Garden Educators (GEs) work endlessly on our school gardens, and none of our work would be possible without their dedication. CitySprouts’ foundation relies on the passion that drives our GEs to spend so much time and energy outside, but what exactly is that passion?
Read on to get an insight into what drives our Garden Educators!
Garden Educator Degen
"I love the theatrics of gardening! When I was a kid, I was obsessed with reading mystery novels. And I think in a weird way, that's part of what I love about gardening.
A whole ecosystem exists in a garden, and everyday that we return to it there's a new mystery to solve as the snails, worms, tomatoes and beetles battle it out in the garden space.
Who's been nibbling on the broccoli leaves? What's that hiding under the log? Why is the cauliflower turning purple? Is the corn shading out the flowers? The garden is a living and breathing space and I love the stories and adventures it brings each day.”
Gardening with kids is AMAZING. They have so much curiosity. They eagerly dig and water and plant, and are so excited to see things grow. There's nothing like having a second grader ask if they can eat some more spinach!”
Program Director, Solomon
Gardening is a time and place where I get to work with the earth. It allows me to disconnect and quiet what is going on in my head while I am working in a hands-on way. It is also very gratifying to put in hard work and watch something so small grow into a mature plant that can sustain you and others. There is also something that is so satisfying and rich about eating the food that you grew.
People think of gardening and farming as something that happens in the country or suburbs. Most folks don't get a chance to experience natural spaces unless they are in those areas. So for me having an urban garden allows me to escape to a place where I would normally have to drive for an hour or so to reach. It is also important for biodiversity! Many of the insects and bugs that are important to our food system need plants and refuge, not just in the countryside but also in our urban cities. By growing a garden you create a hospitable environment for these animals and a more dynamic, resilient, and stable ecosystem.
Our kids are so disconnected from naturals spaces that they fear them, so gardening with urban youth is so important. If we can create a lasting positive relationship between them and the garden then I am hopeful that the next generation will be able to right some of our wrongs as it relates to pollution, climate change, food desserts and food insecurity. Also, gardening is a great social-emotional outlet. All of us and our youth have experienced trauma in our lives, let alone the pandemic for the last two years. The garden provides a safe space where youth can think, work hard, and expel some of that negative energy.
Garden Educator Karl
“I enjoy gardening because it’s slow, methodical work that requires you to think in the time frame of an entire growing season, as opposed to so much of life that's busy day-to-day, week-to-week. It's a humbling exercise in that our garden exists on the whims of the weather and other plant and animal life.
Gardening has taught me how to be a steward, nurturing a garden space and sharing its bounty with others. I think that’s especially important in an urban context where safe green space can be a rarity. To foster kids’ sense of connection to the Earth and to each other is incredibly rewarding.”
Garden Educator Melissa
“Gardening means lots of things to me. It's a meditative practice of sorts, and healing for me. When I put my hands in the dirt and start planting, weeding, watering, moving things around, building trellises, and all that, I often lose myself and my sense of time. My family knows this all too well. The joke is that when I say I'll be in the garden for 5 or 10 minutes, that means I come inside hours later covered in dirt. That loss of self helps me get rid of stress. I love that I'm producing food or making things look pretty, but the simple act of putting my hands in the dirt, connecting with the earth so directly, also just feels good in a way that is hard to describe.
Urban gardening is important because it creates green spaces where people can connect with one another and the natural world. So many of us are disconnected from where food comes from, and a lot of our food comes from so far away. And we are disconnected from each other. What better way to build communities that we actually want to live in? What better way to meet people we might never get to know otherwise?
