The Carman Garden Club is excited to be running another junior gardener program this year, and interested gardeners are asked to register by April 12.
The Junior Gardener Club has grown in the last few years, with more than half its participants being new members.
“The Carman Garden Club is committed to offering a Junior Club because we see the value of getting outside and getting your hands dirty as it is fresh air, and for many of us, it is our therapy,” said organizer Charlene Veenendaal. “Gardening is a constant learning and growing process, from both the plants and the gardeners. We want to nurture the love of learning and curiosity about the world and our community from the ground up: dirt, bugs, butterflies, flowers, veggies, and back to composting and starting all over.”
The Junior Gardener program isn’t a big commitment; the $5 registration fee gets all the seeds and plants that the youngsters will need to get started. There are four tentative meeting dates scheduled for the juniors: May 7 is a Lettuce Greenhouse; May 22 is the plant pick-up and craft; June 18 is the bee demonstration and learn to build a beehouse; and July 30 is the garden tour.
The Junior Gardener Club meets in Carman at places like Kings Park, Ryall Park, and private gardens where the kids can tour the gardens and see how others do things.
“We usually meet at 6 p.m., and this year, it is Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but those are tentative,” said Veenendaal. “Depending on how many kids are in other activities, I will finalize the dates when we have everyone registered. We also understand that not everyone can make every meeting, which is okay.”
This year’s theme for the Junior Gardeners Club is Bees.
“I am so excited to be focusing on bees this year. The kids will have a chance to learn about how bees help their gardens and what we can do to help the bee population as we learn that bees are our friends, and we need each other and can easily co-habitat with one another. To do this, we will make our own bee house, and we will have a presentation from Border Hills Honey. If the timing is right, she will be able to bring her beehive with glass walls so that we can see the bees in action.”
Members of the Junior Club will receive about ten items to grow, both seeds and seedlings. For families with multiple gardeners or children who are returning members, there is a different selection of plants so that they can grow a variety of things and also learn about different ways that things can grow.
“At our meetings, we will talk about how to plan a garden, seeding instructions, and how to care for the garden when things have started to grow. We also talk about challenges like when things do not go as planned, when something doesn’t grow and why. Each family will also be in contact with a mentor, who is someone from the adult Garden Club that will check in, answer questions, and enjoy and appreciate all the hard work that the kids put into their gardens, as half the fun of gardening is sharing it with someone.”
For more information, contact Charlene Veenendaal at norm_char@hotmail.ca or register online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/GMW5PQ8. The registration cost is $5.
Standard Photo by Charlene Veenendaal
