Today we're talking to our friends Walter and Abby over at Urban Sprouts. Thanks for talking with us! Walter, what is Urban Sprouts?
It's a gardening program that teaches students about nature.
How can you have a garden in the middle of a city?
You can go to a community garden or a school garden.
You can start a garden at your house. If you don't have a yard, you can plant veggies in window boxes or in old dresser drawers, bathtubs, or even old shoes filled up with soil.
What do you have to do to take care of your garden?
You have to weed, water your plants, and watch over it every day.
Did you ever try talking to the plants? I hear they like that.
Never tried it.
A lot of kids say you have to treat the plants gently like babies. I've definitely heard some kids singing in the garden.
Can you get out of class to work in the garden?
The whole class goes to the garden together, at least every other week during science class. Gardening IS class!
What's your favorite plant in the garden? What else do you grow?
Strawberries and other kinds of edible plants, like salad, bok choi, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and green beans.
Who eats the food you grow?
We do, and our families.
We also harvest, cook and eat the foods with the whole class during school. We make meals like veggie stir fry cooked in a Chinese wok, spaghetti with red sauce, cooked collard greens, and burritos with salsa.
Did you ever find anything gross in the garden?
Walter is tough! Nothing grosses him out. I've seen other kids sprinkle salt on snails and mix them up like a soup. That is pretty disgusting.
What advice would you give kids who want to start their own garden?
Once you start don't give up and don't be lazy.
If we can do it, you can too!
Thanks, Walter and Abby! Abby gives us the inside scoop about what inspires her, what organic means and tips for how you can start a garden. Check it out!