Summer is a great time for gardens, all those fresh veggies.

The Northwest Community Center in Rockford is using this time to cultivate future gardeners with it's youth.

WREX reports that the Northwest Community Center on Rockford's west side has planted a new garden with the theme "ingredients you could put in soup or pizza." Ti get the kids it serves involved in learning about gardening and become the next green thumbs.

Myrna Pullin from U of I Extension and Northwest Community Supervisor says that "This garden has a much bigger purpose than just showing kids how to grow food. It gives kids a sense of ownership, says one local gardening supervisor. Also, gardeners hope this project brings life to the area keeping kids on a path toward success. It also gives children something to take pride in."

The children already participating in the program have big plans for the garden after the summer. The plans are to go on all year round with "they want to put up bird feeders in the fall and plant and decorate Christmas trees in winter months."

Supervisors of the garden say the food will be ready to harvest in the coming weeks. If you are interested in getting your child involved, call the Northwest Community Center at (815) 964-6885.

Wow! I think that's neat. Especially for inner city kids that have no access to gardens due to there living arrangements. I'm just thinking of all the cool lessons and memories they'll learn and have from working in the garden.

I grew up helping in my parents garden. I have a lot of memories of when I helped plant potatoes, weeding the rows of veggies, or sitting on the porch shelling peas and snapping beans.

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