With a little help, young gardeners blossom

The little beds at the Green Earth Institute in Naperville are designed to help tomorrow's gardeners blossom.

Children learn the basics about planting seeds, fertilizing the soil, weeding the rows and even picking vegetables.

This year's students are picking up a new lesson, too: nurturing generosity.

The 12 elementary through high school students who are participating in "Kids Touch the Earth" voted to plant several beds specifically to help area food pantries. They joined the Plant a Row for the Hungry program with plans to contribute chard, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, beans, celery and onions.

In fact, they voted to do so.

Volunteer Sue Okarma decided to help the summer program at The Conservation Foundation's McDonald Farm in Naperville and suggested the kids might consider donating some of their produce. Organizer Judy Fitchett wanted the youngsters to be part of the process.

"I just said there are people who are pretty hungry and don't have as much food as we do," Okarma recalled telling the kids. "There are places people who are hungry can go to get food and what they don't have is fresh food. Since you're doing your own little garden, how would you feel about planting some for the hungry?"

"They were like 'Oh, yeah,' " she said.

In short order, the children, who each had a garden of their own on-site, planted several other beds exclusively for Plant a Row for the Hungry, the national program promoted by the Garden Writers Association and sponsored locally by the Daily Herald.

Students working at the Green Earth Institute study all facets of gardening: They record how much rain fell, what bugs are in-vading the garden, the temperature each week and when their vegetables ripen. They also have the opportunity to take home what they've grown.

But that option is frequently forsaken.

"I find kids like growing the vegetables more than eating the vegetables," Fitchett joked.

Eight-year-old Lydia Ehmke said this isn't her first foray into horticulture, though it's the first one where she's taken an active role.

"I usually do marigolds in my playhouse window box but (my parents) usually wind up taking care of it," the Oak Park girl said.

As she got down on her hands and knees to pull weeds from her garden bed, it was clear this year is different.