Victory Park Children's Community Garden

Spring/Summer/Fall

It is not just the crops that are growing at Y.O.U.! The veggie and herb gardens, orchard and berry patch never cease to inspire our participants and visitors. The garden is a place where our youth forge many connections: with the rhythms of nature, their home culture, academic lessons, and personal health. Tasting the rewards of local agriculture is an experience that makes quite an impression on just about every participant!

The Victory Park Children’s Garden is a public resource that serves as a launchpad for individuals to experience gardening.  Garden maintenance responsibilities are carried out by our youth and staff, led by Master Gardener Bob, our wonderful garden manager. Y.O.U. structures its gardening program as a means to practice the skills students often learn at school, as well as to foster a strong work ethic.

Our youth are encouraged to take home the fruits of their labor to share with their families and friends. Produce is also integrated into freshly prepared meals each day for youth, as part of our “WHY Eats” (Wholesome & Healthy Youth) initiative. We believe that a lifelong taste for health takes root through each seed of experience in the garden and at meal-time. This passion carries through our “Food for Thought” cooking program, where we teach youth how to prepare these natural treasures as part of a balanced, healthy diet.

Our participants begin “waking up” the garden during our Spring Urban Explorers program. This entails cultivating and composting soil, uncovering returning perennials, and planting spring crops like carrots and snap peas. During Explore Your Environment (summer), our youth visit the garden daily, taking part in summer crop planting, maintenance, and harvesting.

Much of what needs to be learned in life can be discovered and taught in a garden… come check ours out!