In honor of Earth Day and National Gardening Month in April, two GRACE volunteers took the time to educate GRACE clients on gardens and how to incorporate growing healthy food.
Diabetic Educator, Antonio Miranda Ph.D., RD, LD Master Gardener, teamed up with GRACE’s Master Gardener Caryn Hutchinson at this month’s Health Night at GRACE to cover the topic of Growing Organic Foods.
This meeting highlighted the importance of healthy eating, smart gardening on a budget, the different types of fruits and vegetables to grow, and much more. GRACE clients were even given a surprise tour of the GRACE Community Gardens by Caryn, in hopes of sparking fresh ideas for personal gardens.
“I am so happy Caryn was able to come and help educate our group about the GRACE Community Gardens,” said Antonio. “Many GRACE clients will now be able to grow their own garden while eating healthy and on a budget.”
Both Caryn and Antonio spoke about the different seasons and which foods plant well during certain times of year. “Tomatoes and peppers grow great in the soil during this time of year, because both of these are warm-seasoned crops,” said Caryn “Around the beginning of April is usually the last time of the year we may experience any lower temps until the winter, so this is how gardeners are able to tell when to start planting tomatoes and peppers followed by sweet potatoes in May.”
We want to send a huge shout-out to Antonio and Caryn for thinking about the different ways to serve the community. Helping to spark healthy and creative changes in one’s life to become self-sufficient is one of the best ways to help right in your own backyard!
The GRACE Community Gardens are always an amazing option to volunteer with through GRACE. For more information about the GRACE Community Gardens, please reach out to Volunteer Manager, Ryan Jackson at Volunteer@GRACEGrapevine.org, or sign up to serve here today!
