garden rx
Many hands are needed to get the garden started. Volunteers work closely with the children, letting them have fun and get dirty while teaching what a successful garden needs.
children learn about good and bad bugs in the garden, where only organic methods are used. “The children find this fun,” says Susan Davis, a volunteer and garden club past president. “We teach them how to pick off the bad bugs. They get especially excited about hunting for the tomato hornworm—a huge green thing that either fascinates or repels them. The worm is the same color as the tomato leaves, and their young eyes are sharper than ours!”
Cultivating young minds The gardening program is open to any child enrolled in the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Derry. In the summer, three hundred children can be in attendance so participation in the garden may be limited by the desired ratio of between three and five children to each adult, depending on the chore for that day. Often the children are invited to help in the garden by age group. Sometimes the experienced older kids act as guides for the younger ones. “The kids are usually in the garden weekly,” Garone says. “Although during planting season, Derry Garden Club members—from the left, Blanche Garone, Corinne Safron, Wanda Desaulniers, Edith Nunn and Jackie Dempsey—put in many volunteer hours at the Derry Youth Garden. Even though it is hard work, they all say they get a lot of joy out of it. photography courtesy of deede loffler 36 | New Hampshire Home
it might be more often and weather is always a factor.” It takes many willing volunteers to may/june 2017