Courtesy photo.
OXNARD — For the second year, Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) is hosting its “Let’s Grow A Garden”–an at-home garden program for students in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties that teaches kids how to grow vegetables while learning healthy eating habits and proper nutrition.
“‘A garden gives kids a sense of accomplishment as they care for their plants and then harvest their crops. They also come to appreciate the role of our local farmers and the importance of eating healthy,” says Mary Maranville, SEEAG’s founder and CEO.
To help start their gardens, Agromin, an Oxnard-based manufacturer of earth-friendly soil products, composts and mulches made from recycled organic materials, is giving away 4-quart bags of potting soil to Let’s Grow A Garden participants. The bags (one per child) are available at Agromin (201 Kinetic Drive, Oxnard) April 19 through Aprils 23, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Agromin parking lot.
Plantel Nurseries will be giving away vegetable seedlings on Earth Day (April 22) at Agromin as well. When picking up soil and seeds, follow all social distancing and other rules posted on site.
Nutrition and agriculture program lessons are on SEEAG’s website with new lessons posted every Monday beginning May 3. Also on the site is Information about local agriculture and links to where families can order seeds and gardening materials online.
A Let’s Grow A Garden e-newsletter with product giveaway details and more “ag-tivities” is sent out weekly through August. E-newsletter article topics include how to plant vegetables from seed, container gardening for small spaces, and selecting the right plants and soil. Register to receive the newsletter by going to www.seeag.org/signup.
The program will also feature a weekly garden photo contest where students submit photos (#letsgrowagarden2021) of their gardens with the chance to win garden-themed prizes.
No registration is required. Let’s Grow a Garden is for elementary school teachers, students and their families. For more, go to www.seeag.org/letsgrowagarden2021. To learn about SEEAG, go to www.seeag.org
About SEEAG — Founded in 2008, Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) is a nonprofit organization that aims to help young students understand the origins of their food by bridging the gap between agriculture and consumption through its agricultural education programming. SEEAG’s “The Farm Lab” program based in Ventura County teaches schoolchildren about the origins of their food and the importance of local farmland by providing schools with classroom agricultural education and free field trips to farms. Its Child Wellness Initiative in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties educates, inspires and empowers children to eat healthy by adding locally grown fruits and vegetables to their diet to help ward off childhood obesity that could lead to diabetes. Through these and other SEEAG programs, over 60,000 elementary school students in Central and Southern California have increased their understanding of the food journey. For more information, visit www.seeag.org or email Mary Maranville at mary@seeag.org