How Does Our Garden Grow?

Kids in the Residential Treatment Center aren't just eating their vegetables . . . they're growing them!

For the past three summers, On-site Supervisor Mel Gonzales has guided the effort to cultivate four large vegetable and flower beds on LYDIA's property. The kids have helped plant, weed, and harvest their crops, which have yielded plentiful zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, lettuce, and cucumbers, as well as marigolds, zinnias, and other flowers.

The garden has helped kids better understand nature and sustainability in the food cycle and has given many a recreational outlet.

"Kids who live at LYDIA grew up in the city, and they have no concept of growing plants from seed, cultivating flowers, or composting," Mel says. "The garden has been a wonderful learning opportunity, and has helped kids better understand their science classes in school."

To prepare for this year's garden, Mel held a gardening mini-course for the children in June. Teachers from local schools helped with the planting, and LYDIA staff purchased some of the garden's produce this fall.

Mel says that LYDIA therapists have found the garden to be a good spot for conversation with kids because it helps them relax and express themselves.

A gardener's work is never done, of course. Next year's challenge: keeping squirrels out of the corn!