Read about the Junior Gardening Club in Ashby. Gardening is a great activity for kids, teaching responsibility, connecting with nature, and learning about food systems.
“The perfect mix of randomness” is the phrase Jill Amundson uses to describe the garden run by Ashby’s newest club. Two fourth graders, Nola Amundson and Gunnar Johnson, are the founding members of the Junior Gardening Club in Ashby. The club gives its members a sense of responsibility in their community, a connection to nature and place, and a sustainable food source.
The Beginning
It all started when Nola and her mom, Jill, who is the Impact Evaluator at West Central Initiative, were looking at community events they could take part in on Facebook. They saw that the adult gardening club in Ashby, The Living Treasures Club, was looking for new members. Nola wanted to join, so she made a request on the post. Nola and Jill then received a private message from Amy Johnson, Gunnar’s mom and the Mayor of Ashby, suggesting that they should start the junior club together.
“It just kind of blossomed from there,” said Jill. “We had a meeting with the two parents and the two kids just talking about what they wanted to see and what was interesting about the idea of a garden.”
The local hardware store donated some starter plants, and the club started having its monthly meetings. Each meeting starts with presentations about an aspect of gardening by the members, which has grown to around 15 gardeners. A presentation could be about the parts of a flower, or why the colors of the leaves are changing. Presenting empowers the members to talk about their own interests in front of their peers.
The presentations help build confidence, allowing members to become experts on topics. “It helps build those tools that they need to speak in front of their class,” said Amy. “They learn leadership as well.”
Learning through Doing
Apart from the presentations, the meetings always include some sort of activity. Whether it be working in the club’s garden, picking apples with FFA members, learning about composting, picking pumpkins, or letting worms loose in the dirt, the meetings are always fun for the whole family.
Having done gardening their own way, members of the club can appreciate where their food comes from and better understand food systems and the paths food takes before it arrives on the plate. Nola is excited to grow different vegetables like basil, kale, broccoli, and pumpkins next year.
Growing the Community
Community clubs, like both the adult and junior gardening club, help citizens connect with one another. Amy says that other organizations in Ashby are very supportive of the Junior Gardening club.
“There is a great appreciation in people in general for getting kids off their phones,” said Amy. “Getting them in the dirt and getting them to learn life lessons.”
The junior gardening club teaches younger generations about how to come together to create the community they want to see. They’re just as much members of the community as their teachers, neighbors, and parents. “She [Nola] can actually go visit the garden and then that feels a little more like that she’s part of the community because she has a little place to go that she has control over,” Jill said. “She can meet with other kids that are there and really feel integrated into the community even if it’s that small way.”
Take a look at some of the plants grown at the garden near Ashby’s School.
About the Author
Brogan Ludwig is the ACC AmeriCorps member for West Central Initiative. His year of service includes working on the Climate Action Newsletter and Climate Action outreach. Brogan graduated from Concordia College in May. He lives outside his hometown, Hawley.
