EarthBox growers, like vegetables, come in all sizes. In Orleans County, New York, toddlers, middle and high school students, and adults are getting their hands dirty in their EarthBoxes.

Recently, the New York State Department of Health funded an initiative called Healthy Communities Capacity Building. In Orleans County, children just old enough to stand are already learning how to grow at P.Raising Kids Child Care Center, as are their pre-teen friends. Middle and high school students at Liberty Partnerships/LIFE Program are bonding with each other as they grow vegetables in their boxes.

Adult members of the MHA of Orleans County Drop-In Center in Albion are also successfully growing produce: in fact, they're already enjoying the first fruits of their labor for dinner!

"We're a mostly rural county surrounded by great farmland, yet many people don't know how to start their own gardens," notes Nola Goodrich-Kresse, Orleans County Health Department Public Health Educator. "Many of the participants in the Pilot Project tend to eat processed foods, not having experienced a garden that produces healthy foods.

"Taking a different approach to the community garden concept by providing the materials without having to be concerned about location, tilling/hoeing the land, excessive weeding, etc. makes the Mobile Community Garden process more exciting for participants."

Each participating group is encouraged to join the EarthBox Forum as well as our Facebook page, in order to share their projects. After the completion of this pilot project, the initiative organizers hope to find interest in and funding for other EarthBox growing projects.

We salute Orleans County for their sterling efforts to bring the joys of growing fresh produce to all age levels of their populace! Great job, folks!

For information on starting an EarthBox community project of your own, click here or contact our Education Department at 1-800-821-8838, ext. 8348 or 8369.