Master Gardeners/4-H Programs

by Kathleen D. Halus — last modified May 26, 2011 10:29 PM — History

4-H and Penn State Extension Master Gardeners have developed a partnership with the City of Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation to create a citywide gardening program for tots, after school, and summer camp children. This partnership, called Harvest-4-Health, was offered at 25 Recreation Centers in the fall of 2010.

 The spring gardening program, Harvest-4-Health, kicked off on Thursday April 7, 2011 starting with Mitchell Playgraound in NE Philadelphia. The children in the Tot Program started seeds in trays and planted bulbs in their existing raised beds. They will tend their plants, watch them grow, and harvest any available crops before their school term ends. Their growing and harvesting efforts will continue throughout the summer with the help of the children in the Recreation Dept.'s Summer Camp.

On Friday April 8, 2011 Jackie Simons and Lorraine Busch (both 4-H educators and Master Gardeners) along with Kate Halus (Master Gardener) participated in a city sponsored event for 150 of the Philadelphia Recreation Department Summer Camp Leaders. This was a day long event, consisting of four sessions, with participants rotating through presentations of multiple ideas that might excite the children in the camps. 4-H and the Master Gardener presentation consisted of a looped slide show and hands on demonstrations of planting techniques and use of various garden supplies. The feedback that we have received since the presentation has been overwhelmingly positive. We anticipate our original 25 sites will double by the time the summer camps are in full force.