Inside the new Gather ‘n Grow Garden, four foot square raised beds called Veggie Plots will be the key to an educational program for families and individuals to learn sustainable and responsible vegetable gardening. Program fees ($150) will include your Veggie Plot, participation for your family in a series of 10 educational classes, and access to the Gardens during regular business hours during the growing season.  The classes will start in April and continue over the 14 weeks of the growing season. Gardeners can choose to attend classes on Tuesday evenings (5-7 pm) or Saturday mornings (8-10am).  Participants are welcome to work their ‘plantation’ during regular SGG operating hours.  Additionally, the Gardens will be kept open on Tuesdays until 7pm so working parents can spend time there with their children. Sign-up is open now (first come, first ‘re’-served)!

Dedicated to dirty hands and happy hearts, the new Gather ‘n’ Grow Garden is a space for playful learning for all ages. Construction is underway now, and frankly even pictures can’t capture what is going on there. You have to see it to believe it! It will feature paths winding through sensory plantings to please the senses, an “A to Z” alphabet bed, vegetable beds, and whimsical elements like chime arbors, bubble pools and animal topiaries. Did we mention the outdoor classroom with a dirt roof? Check out the construction now and join us for the Gather ‘n’ Grow grand opening on March 10, 2012.

For more information about the Veggie Plots Program or for sponsorship or volunteer opportunities contact Lvanderhoff@smithgilbertgardens.com or call 770-919-0248.