The Garden Project that began with tilling and planting this spring will continue to bless The Simple Room with a harvest of fresh vegetables through the fall.

This has been one of the most exciting programs for our kids to participate in year-round as they experience what it means to plant a seed, care for it by watering and weeding, and celebrate when they are finally able to enjoy its produce.

(Below: Joey holding up a cherry tomato he picked from the garden. Project 24 and other summer programming participants snacked on these and other vegetables all summer-long.)

This is the third year of operation for our Garden Project and along the way we've learned a thing or two about caring for a community garden. This year we divided the garden into plots for children and adults to tend to in partnership. Structuring the program in this way allowed for relationships to be built between Simple Room youth and community members as they tend to their plots together. By giving special responsibility of each section to a team of individuals, this structure also kept our gardening in excellent condition.

Our garden was such a success this year!! Our sunflowers surpassed ten feet in height at their peak! All our garden plots have produced many fresh vegetables - tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, lettuce, and spinach. The kids are always excited to hunt through the garden and find ripe vegetables to pick and eat. And we want to thank all our volunteers who helped make that success possible, especially the members of St. Paul's Free Methodist Church who offered their time, gardening wisdom, and cooking abilities!

(Below Left: Several of our girls planting strawberry plants in the raised melon bed. Below Right: We have found that adult volunteers often make the best weeders!)

(Above Left: Jason and Lee work with several of our boys to drive spikes into the wooden dividers that marked the various plots. Above Right: Ann and Kaity planting strawberry plants with Anne Marie.)