Girls Inc. is growing minds by growing gardens.

Girls Inc. of Hamblen County conducted a 3 day outreach program at Dandridge's Field of Dreams rec center called "Garden on the Go" where they taught girls ages 7 to 11 the basics of gardening.




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Updated: February 8, 2025 @ 10:46 am
Girls Inc. is growing minds by growing gardens.
Girls Inc. of Hamblen County conducted a 3 day outreach program at Dandridge's Field of Dreams rec center called "Garden on the Go" where they taught girls ages 7 to 11 the basics of gardening.
"We teach them some gardening basics," Program Director Misty Graham said. "At the end of the camp they have left with us a pollinator plant, and we've discussed the importance of bees and butterflies spreading pollen, an Italian herb garden with thyme, oregano, and basil, and then what we call a salsa garden with a tomato plant, a pepper plant, and cilantro."
The girls took plant seedlings from planters and placed them in larger "grow bags" with potting soil to take home and develop.
Graham said they created recipes for the project to utilize the eventual harvest.
"We make salsa to show the girls how to use their salsa garden, and we have made caprese skewers utilizing the basil that they have in their herb garden," she said. "We've talked about (the benefits of growing) ground to the table."
In addition to the gardening and culinary lessons, girls at the camp learned the underlying science.
"We've added a STEM element by doing some soil experiments and talking about how, just like our bodies need a balance of vitamins and nutrients, so do plants." Graham said. "So we tested the soil (outside the rec center) to see if it's acidic or alkaline or neutral, and talk about how if you were planting something, you might need to add something to it."
Girls, Inc. Program Facilitator Cera Reed-Bass said that it's been great working with girls in Jefferson County and everybody has been learning.
"My favorite part about it has been learning to garden more myself," she said. "It's always something I've wanted to get into."
Garden on the Go in Jefferson County was made possible with funding from East Tennessee Foundation, Jefferson Health Care Foundation and Walmart.
Two more three-day camps were held at the Jefferson City Public Library and Surrett 69制片厂制作传媒s Community Center in White Pine.
Graham said Girls Inc. of Hamblen County is gearing up for their 2024-2025 afterschool program.
"Registration will open on Monday, July 15, and the program will begin Monday, August 5," she said. "Membership is open to girls age 6 and older, and we provide bus pick-up from most Hamblen County Schools. Families may contact me at 423-581-4430 for more information."
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