Lessons
from a little Hilltop farm
When I hear
the word "Hilltop" I think of a gassy pasture that has animals
grazing on a hill. This is hardly what the Hilltop community actually looks like
located south of West Broad Street at the corner of Highland Avenue and Floral
Avenue in a struggling part of the Columbus. I recently got to visit the
Hilltop to speak at the
Highland Elementary and the
J. Ashburn Jr. Youth Center.
Back in
2009, many community centers were being closed across Columbus due to lack of
funding. These centers served as after school programs for many youth, a safe
place to grow and learn and a common place for community members to go and feel
safe.
Columbus is a great city, but let’s face it, in every large city
there is crime and poverty. In a meeting at the Hilltop Lutheran
Church, a group of concerned citizens gathered to discuss what could be
done to promote growth of the youth in the Hilltop community, since the community
centers were no longer available for the children. Out of this meeting the
dream of the Highland Youth Garden was put into action.
This large garden area includes areas of irrigated crop
production, raised beds where crops are planted “by color,” a high tunnel
(green house), an herb garden, a butterfly garden, and a native plant area.
Each provides special teaching and learning opportunities.
The
majority of children in the nearby schools and in the community live in poverty.
Most of the youth receive free or reduced lunches. For many, English is a
second language. This area is also referred to as a food desert due to the lack
of grocery stores in the community. Fresh vegetables and fruit simply are not
available unless the children receive them in their school lunches or their
parents or guardians have access to transportation to travel outside the
neighborhood to shop in grocery stores.
In 2013,
the youth planted vegetables, herbs, flowers, and six fruit trees. The crops
included corn, mustard greens, beets, onions, cucumbers, potatoes, turnips,
eggplant, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, potatoes, sweet potatoes, a
wide variety of tomatoes and peppers, and several other vegetables.
Approximately 25 percent of the garden is dedicated to raising food for the
local food pantry and for residents that are not able to do the physical work
in the garden. The children and volunteers have delivered the produce to the
pantry to share what they have grown with people in their community. Two
canning classes have been offered each year to help families learn how to
preserve food from the garden. With the help of
Strader’s Nursery, the
Highland Youth Garden also assisted the broader community by sharing over 3,000 flats of
vegetables, fruit plants, herbs and flowers with other community gardens, with
neighbors for their own gardens, and with youth who are participating in the
garden. The garden is now recognized as one of Franklin County’s 12 Hub
Gardens, each of which is a resource that is being leveraged to teach and start
other gardens in the city.
I was
invited to visit with many of the school students who have teachers and a
principle who value a hands-on approach to gardening and food. I was more than
excited to see how the teachers and staff really value this garden and allow
class time for their students to participate. I have always said almost
every life lesson can be learned on a farm. For these children, this is about
as close to a farm as they will ever get. This outdoor garden and learning
center not only teaches them about science and food but about respect,
responsibility and rewards.
The
children that I met had so many questions for me about food and farming. They
had no idea what agriculture was and seemed very excited to meet a farmer. Kids
say the darndest things! Some of my favorites were:
“I didn't
know that there were girl farmers.”
“You are
too pretty to be a farmer.”
“Can you drive a tractor?”
“Where are
your bib overalls?”
My take
home message in a nutshell was that there are children living with very little
close to our farms that have no idea where their food comes from or what
agriculture is about. There are volunteers who are willing to donate countless
hours for children and create gardens to help educate the youth about food and
making healthy food choices. They need help from people in agriculture to share
what we do on the farm and how they too are a part of the food production
cycle. It was such an honor to be invited to their garden and listen and watch
the children. Their eyes are so full of hope and excitement. They seemed eager
to learn and content, yet they have so little. Visiting the garden for just a
few hours really got me excited and charged up to go out and do great things. I
think that every adult (rural or urban) can learn from these children, and
their little farm on the Hilltop.
