Garden Sprouts

They say the love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.

Well, this summer local youth are getting introduced to gardening at an early age thanks to grants from North Dakota State University.

In May the NDSU Extension Office in Eddy County was awarded a pair of gardening grants worth a combined $1,250, which are now funding garden programs in both Sheyenne and at the NDSU Extension office in New Rockford.

One of those grants is designated for youth education, meant to provide opportunities for children to learn about gardening, their environment and the basics of horticulture.

Michelle Gilley, Eddy County NDSU Extension Agent and a master gardener, is taking full advantage of the new funding to provide a beneficial opportunity for local youth.

Children in North Dakota participate in junior master gardener projects each year, such as establishing school and preschool gardens, beautifying schools and parks, constructing raised beds for the elderly and growing vegetables for local food pantries.

Here in Eddy County, local youth are developing their green thumbs at the community garden in Sheyenne.

Every Monday from 3-4 p.m., this summer Gilley will be meeting with local youth at the community garden to teach them all about gardening and their environment. They've already met a few times, and have been planting all kinds of flowers and produce.

The kids have planted tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, potatoes, gourds, okra, kohlrabi, cantaloupe and watermelon, just to name a few.

Meanwhile, they're also working on eight "garden variety trials" for NDSU, meaning they'll be monitoring the progress of several varieties of different plants – such as pumpkins, marigolds and snacking cucumbers – to report their findings back to NDSU.

All the while, the kids will get to learn about what they're planting and everything that goes into growing a successful garden.

"While we are waiting for harvest we'll cover plant growth and development, soils, water, insects, diseases, fruit, vegetables and ecology," explained Gilley.

This Monday, June 17, Gilley will be going over the benefits of mulch for their garden and allowing the kids to spread some mulch themselves, which was generously provided by Stan Kruger, one of the organizers of Sheyenne's community garden.

Gilley said any kids in Eddy County are more than welcome to come out to the community garden. There's no cost associated and it provides an excellent opportunity to pass on gardening lessons to youth.

And of course, when all the produce is ready to harvest, the kids will get to enjoy all the delicious fruits (and vegetables) of their labor.

If anyone has questions feel free to call the Eddy County Extension Office at (701) 947-2454.

Meanwhile, some may have noticed a few new gardens at the Eddy County NDSU Extension Office in New Rockford. That's because Eddy County 4-H'ers have been busy planting a pollinator garden, a cut-flower garden and even a pizza garden along the base of the office building.

In addition to beautifying the building's exterior, Gilley said the gardens will be utilized in the future to host gardening classes and provide other opportunities for the community.

The gardens feature beautiful flowers and native species, such as daylilies, purple prairie clover, prairie blazing star, bee balm, purple coneflower and butterfly milkweed, among others.

And the pizza garden includes onions, tomatoes, basil and other ingredients and toppings for a delicious slice of pizza.

Be sure to stop by the Extension office this summer to check out the new gardens, and be sure to keep up with all the future plans and activities coming up at the local extension office by following "NDSU Extension Eddy County" on Facebook.