Meet the Garden Mentor - Georgia

 
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Georgia created a resource for her matched garden about easy-to-grow vegetables with long growing seasons. This is a great list for beginner gardeners or any schools looking to plant in spring and harvest in fall.

Check it out: What to Grow - Long Growing Season

We are so excited to be piloting our program Grow Eat Learn in food gardens across the province this spring. Participating garden leads are being supported with goal-setting activities, help with garden planning, lesson plans and much more! Each garden has also been matched with a local garden mentor, someone with a “green thumb” who can provide tips and support on how to grow a successful harvest.

Georgia is the garden mentor matched with Digby Neck Consolidated School. She has been helping them decide what to plant and supporting their greenhouse project. We asked Georgia a few questions about her involvement with Grow Eat Learn.

Q: What inspired you to be a part of this program?

“I think what inspired me to reach out to the Nourish team is the broad scope that Nourish provides the province – I love that Nourish promotes healthy eating for kids and families through a number of avenues like cooking, supporting local, and “growing your own” for example. These are all things I enjoy doing and learning more of, so I thought it would be a good organization to join.”

Q: What has been your favourite part of Grow Eat Learn so far?

“My favorite part of Grow Eat Learn so far is learning about what schools, teachers, and students are already doing! The school I am connected to has been gardening, wanting to implement a pollinator garden, building a greenhouse, and are prioritizing outdoor learning at a level I didn’t know existed and is so different from when I was in school. It’s amazing to see that teachers and supporting members are advocating for, and creating outdoor classrooms! I find it very encouraging that more students in our province are being exposed to such great environments.”

Q: What is your favourite thing to grow in the garden?

“My favourite thing to grow in gardens are herbs! They smell nice, have a long growing season, add so much flavor to your meals, and are hard to kill lol. My favorite herb is cilantro and rosemary.”

Thanks Georgia for mentoring the next generation of gardeners!

As this program grows, we will be looking for more mentors. If you're interested in learning more about this volunteer opportunity, please reach out: grow.eat.learn@nourishns.ca