Jesse Cosby Community Youth Garden

Problem:
Youth, particularly adolescents, need life-skill building activities to participate in, especially during the summer. Additionally, obesity is becoming an increasing concern as well as the nutritional quality of the diet of teens.

Response:
A community 30 x 120 foot vegetable garden was planted at the Jesse Cosby Neighborhood Center for the third year. Local agencies and churches were contacted inviting youth they serve to participate at the garden. Quakerdale, Boys and Girls club, a Neighborhood group, Kid’s Café and a local church summer program all had youth participate at the community garden. In early May, 15 youth from the Kid’s Café planted 300 marigolds around the outside of the garden. The garden was tilled and 6x6 foot plots were marked off. Participating youth planned, planted, maintained and harvested produce from their plots. Youth were scheduled two hours each week at the garden. Classes on nutrition and gardening were presented and the remainder of the time was spent working in the garden. Five groups with over 70 youth participating were scheduled with times to come to the garden. As the summer progressed and harvest began, youth ate radishes, kohlrabi, broccoli, green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, cabbage, canteloupe, watermelon and zuchinni. All produce was consumed or taken home by the gardeners. The youth made zuchinni bread, fresh salsa and froze tomatoes as vegetables. A garden party was held on July 19 with 90 community members and gardeners attending. Barbeque chicken, sweet corn cooked outside in a big black kettle over an open fire, coleslaw, fresh salsa and items brought by those attending were all part of the meal shared by everyone in attendance. Following the meal, youth gave tours of their gardens and enjoyed some running races including a very popular three-legged race.

Impact:
Staff from Quakerdale report that the gardeners from their facility loved their gardens. One young woman wrote that she got to plant her very own garden and grow cantaloupe and peppers. The girls were enthusiastic about cooking and reported they had never made fresh salsa before, but now that they know how, they intend to keep making it. The girls were pleased with making zuchinni bread and freezing tomatoes. After one day of working in the kitchen the girls began to plan what they were going to do with what they were taking home. A list was made and the girls were excited about the opportunity to share some of their produce with people who had remembered them in the past. They were proud and excited with their accomplishments.

Contact:
Jill Weber
Iowa State University Extension, Families Nutrition and Health Specialist
3420 University Avenue, Suite B, Waterloo, IA 50701-2008
Phone 319-234-6811; Fax 319-234-5581
Email jrweber@iastate.edu