The Horticulture 101 program is expanding rapidly at the Northland Arboretum.
Through this program, a group of Crow Wing County master gardeners have turned their passion for gardening into a unique learning opportunity for veterans, youth and interested adults in the Lake Brainerd region.
"The first year we had a few kids interested in the program and we were using the research beds that were forty years old," Crow Wing County Garden Manager Tracy Schrock said in a news release. "We now have over 50 members, from veterans to youth, and our facilities have doubled in size."
Friends, family and Crow Wing County Commissioners are invited to an open house/garden at the Arboretum on Wednesday, August 14th to see the progress of the program and admire the plants that the participants have grown during the growing season.
As guests wander through raised beds surrounded by 8-foot deer fences, plenty of food is harvested to take home. There was also an exchange of vegetables and flowers.
Kevin Kiley, a veteran who attended night classes for veterans and adults, told commissioners Steve Burrows and Bill Bracken that he was responsible for creating the spaghetti sauce for last season's harvest feast.
"I have a lot of tomatoes and basil," Kelly said. "Other groups prepared noodles and promised to give red onions and peppers."
"We want to include only young people in the program," said Vicki Foss, executive director of the Northland Arboretum. "We have over 40 young adults this year, but we knew we wanted to expand the program to the larger veteran community in our area and open it up to adults who may not have had the opportunity to garden."
According to a UCLA research article, getting back to nature has many benefits. It was also found that vegetarians had lower levels of inflammation, a major cause of many chronic diseases, than non-vegetarians. Another study of people with PTSD found lower levels of stress hormones after participating in a herbal therapy program. People who grow their own food eat more fruits and vegetables, which makes their diet more nutritious.
"Gardening is good for everyone!" Foss said. "We want people to be outside, learn healthy habits, enjoy the Arboretum and build communities with each other."
The Gardening 101 program begins in late May and runs Wednesdays all summer through September. Each week, participants learn the science and techniques of growing great crops from Crow Wing County master gardeners, then spend time in the garden. The course usually ends with a surprise that the participants have worked on or been encouraged to try.
This is the fourth year of the Arboretum program and plans are underway to expand the program next summer. For more information about the 2020 growing season, call the Northland Arboretum at 829-8770.
