Howard University Garden Project

"Knowledge is like a garden; if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested." Guinea Proverb.

"Mom! Mom! Mom! Come quick! It's red!" screamed LionHeart from another room. My first thought was how did he cut himself and I hope he's not bleeding too bad.  But these were not screams of pain.  Instead, they were screams of joy, delight and amazement. The green pepper we had recently discovered in our container garden was now red.  This was absolutely amazing to LionHeart and spawned all sorts of questions.  Ah, a teaching moment where the interest is already peaked. Touchdown!

"Can we eat it?" LionHeart exclaimed. "Are you kidding? Of course you can eat it!"  LionHeart is a picky eater and if growing his own food means he'll eat more vegetables, this endeavor has been well worth the time and effort.

I can't wait to see his expression when the tomatoes turn red.  I hope it's not too late with fall right around the corner. This was our first garden experience, so we are learning together.

LionHeart was so protective of his pepper once he harvested it, asking if he needed to wash it in spring water instead of "sink water."

My children were blessed to participate in the My Garden Project, a program sponsored by Howard University Hospital and the Howard University College of Medicine.  Howard students and staff members helped my children and 50 other participating families prepare and plant small gardens this summer.   In addition to checking in on our progress, the Garden Project will return to plant fall vegetables in my container garden.  There is something magical about watching how a child’s relationship to food changes after he grows his own.  What a summer blessing!