Space Coast Parent - January 2018

Florida climate. And since gardening is
a family affair, Zuhlke says that she
had to let go of perfection for the sake
of getting her kids excited about
growing their own plants and food.
“You can’t be afraid to let kids get
dirty or have their own thoughts on the
process,” Zuhlke said. “Gordon’s latest
cabbage plant is sort off by itself
because that’s where he wanted it to
go.”
For friends and neighbors who want
to start their own foray into gardening,
Zuhlke says to rotate crops, plant the
same crops at different times so you
always have an ample supply, and to let
your kids play a big role in the process.
“Don’t micromanage. Let them
participate how they want,” she said.
Erika Maier has always enjoyed
gardening. With a background in the
culinary arts, she has always had a
strong interest in where food comes
from and how that impacts the people
who eat it. A few years ago, Maier
decided to take that interest a step
further and earned her Master
Gardener status through the local
UF/IFAS 4-H extension office. She now
takes that knowledge to the kids in her
4H group and at her neighborhood
elementary school.
“It’s so important for kids to
understand where their food is coming
Want to visit a community garden in your area? Here are some others
throughout Brevard:
Wickham Park Community Garden, overseen by the UF/IFAS Extension and
Brevard County; visit brevard.ifas.ufl.edu for more details.
Cape Canaveral, located on the north end of Patriots Park at 200 Long Point Road.
Visit Cityofcapecanaveral.org/garden for more details.
Ethos Community Garden at the Florida Institute of Technology. Visit
Facebook.com/EthosCGarden/ to learn more.
Blue Sky Community Garden located at Suntree Methodist Church. All food
grown is donated to those less fortunate who need access to healthy foods. Visit
Facebook.com/pg/bluesky communitygarden.
Eau Gallie Arts District Community Garden and Urban Farm, maintained by
the Verdi Eco School. Volunteer hours are from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Visit
Verdiecoschool.org/garden for more details.
from. Food doesn’t come from a
package at Publix,” Maier said. “They
get so excited to at least try the fruits
and vegetables that they help grow and
that empowers them.”
Her own backyard is a combination
of fruit trees, vegetable stalks and
native flowers. Her two children,
Indigo and Kameron, help with the
planting, harvesting and eating.
“They have certain plants they
really love. They’ll come out and just
pick them, and eat them,” Maier said.
For families just getting started on
their own backyard gardens, Maier
suggests starting with growing
something really simple, like lettuce.
“The time to plant is now. Get your
plants started when it’s cool outside,”
she said.
Community Gardening
For families that want to start
gardening, but don’t have a place to do
it, community gardens can fill the gap.
The city of Satellite Beach offers a
community garden area that consists of
20 garden beds that people can rent for
one year for $50. A 660-gallon rain
barrel irrigation system keeps the
plants mostly watered and the garden
bed renters pitch in on the additional
watering, weeding and other
maintenance tasks.
Nicholas Sanzone is the
Environmental Program Coordinator
for Satellite Beach and he says that
creating a community space for
gardening is part of the city’s long-term
sustainability plan.
“It’s been so great seeing whole
families out here, gardening together.
It teaches kids not to be afraid of
nature. This is how things grow, this is
natural,” Sanzone said.
The garden beds are all rented out
for this growing season and the city has
started a waitlist for others who are
interested.
“The response has been tremendous.
I think it shows how much people,
families especially, are looking for this
type of gardening opportunity,”
Sanzone said.
holy trinity episcopal academy
EducatingtheWholeChild –Mind, Body and Spirit
“The goal at Holy Trinity is not to produce memorizers but to
produce thinkers, innovators, and creators. Developing those
skills and knowing what’s possible –itall starts in preschool,
kindergarten and first grade. That’s what makes Holy Trinity
different from other schools. We want morefor our students.”
-Whitney Douglas, Holy Trinity Educator
Celebrating
1957
2017
years
learn more at our
community open house
tuesday, jan. 23, 9-11 a.m.
WWW.HTACADEMY.ORG/RSVP
321-723-8323
JANUARY 2018 Space Coast Parent | 9