Garden Project with Boys Town Youth In Collaboration with Annie's Ace Hardware!

This past weekend, The ENT team visited the youth of Boys Town to have an exciting evening planting a new garden. With the help of Sarah from Annie’s Ace Hardware, Boys Town youth were able to turn their previously unused plot into a beautiful garden. It was during our monthly mentoring sessions that this idea was sparked, with students asking for more ways to get out of the house during the pandemic and more ways to have additional access to healthy foods.

Before

After

We began the evening by tilling the ground previously inhabited by weeds and roots, leaving a fertile backbone to work with. The youth then moved to fill the garden box with new top soil, ensuring a moist and nutritious base. This was then enhanced with a layer of fertilizer-laden potting soil, ensuring the plants would receive and initial boost of food and water for planting.

After the soil was placed, the stars of the show could be planted into the ground. The youth were provided with saplings and young plants of various types: Tomato, Cucumber, Squash, Peppers, and others! Each plant required its own technique for initial transplanting. Metal “Tomato Cages” were placed over multiple plants to encourage vertical growth, and an encompassing wire fence was placed to keep out any pesky wild animals looking for a snack. After a generous shower of water, the Boys Town youth could stand back and admire their hard work. It was then, the Boys Town youth were reminded of the hard work of commitment in order to maintain their garden. Daily watering was a must, while daily chats with the agriculture was encouraged.

We would like to thank Sarah and Annie’s Ace Hardware for donating all of the soil and plants to make this project possible. We would also like to thank the leadership of Boys Town, including Dr. Wingfield, for being such great supporters of ENTYS and our commitment to improving the lives of their students and all Opportunity Youth.

Check out the Photo Gallery from the event below!