Youth Vegetable Gardening (Montgomery Co)

PLEASE NOTE
This Montgomery County event has been cancelled. A similar event is now being sponsored by the Food Supplement Nutrition Education (FSNE) program. This event will be held at the Moravia Park Elementary School in Baltimore on June 29 from 9am-4pm.

Please contact Heather Buritsch at buritsch@umd.edu or 443-283-2302 with interest in that event or questions. There will be no fee to attend the event and registration will be open until mid-June.

Thank you!

Class Description
Youth and school vegetable gardens are in high demand. Parents and teachers recognize that gardening encourages physical activity, and that having a school garden is also a great way to expose children to healthy foods.

Many schools and youth organizations request Master Gardener assistance with their vegetable gardening programs. Have you ever been asked to provide assistance to youth gardens, but weren't sure what that would entail? In this class we hope to show you how your current skills can be used to support teachers in their efforts to work with students in school gardens. Teachers and students want to learn what you know. They might ask, What are the easy-to-grow veggie options? How do we start seedlings? How do we deal with pests and weeds? How can we encourage pollinators?

In this class you will build your confidence as an advisor and mentor as you learn effective ways to collaborate with existing Extension youth gardening programs. The instructors of this class will share simple gardening activities and lessons, as well as tips on how to support a youth garden program. The focus will be on elementary schools and shoulder seasons, and our panelists will inspire you with lots of fun and thrifty ideas for hands-on activities!

Tentative Schedule
8:30-9:00 | Arrive, check-in, and enjoy light refreshments at Washington Grove Elementary School
9:00-12:00 | Class
12:00-1:00 | Salad demo and lunch
1:00-4:00 | Break-out sessions (45 minutes each)

Continuing Education Credits
This class will count as 7 hours of UME MG continuing education and also towards the Advanced Training: Vegetable Gardening Certificate.

Note: Attendees of this class must be at least 18 years of age.

Refund Policy
No refunds will be awarded after June 29

Remember to Bring
MG name badge
Lunch, water, snacks (light refreshments will be provided)
Hand lens (if you have one)
Hat, sunscreen and insect repellant

Instructors

Heather Buritsch, Faculty Extension Assistant, Urban Horticulture in Talbot County since 2005. She attended North Carolina State University receiving a BS in Agriculture Business with a Concentration in Biology. After working in the Talbot County Extension Office as the Master Gardener Coordinator from 2005 to 2012, she has joined the FSNE family at the State Office as the Statewide Gardening for Nutrition Coordinator.

Pam Hosimer received her Master of Library and Information Science degree, as a special librarian concentrating on agricultural and environmental topics, from the University of Maryland, College Park. She has been an active advocate for growing your own food and healthy eating by presenting at conferences and teaching workshops as a volunteer for Extension since she became a Montgomery County Master Gardener in 2008 and an original member of the state Grow It, Eat it team formed in 2009.

Formerly a special education teacher in the public school system, Pam has been working with Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, through a grant funded program, developing farm-based curriculum for Maryland middle schoolers.

In her free time Pam likes to visit gardens, volunteer in the community, read mystery books, drink tea and meet new people.

Joi Vogin is Project Leader and Nutrition Educator for the University of Maryland Extension’s Food Supplement Nutrition Education Program (FSNE) in Montgomery County, Maryland. As Project Leader, Joi directs FSNE’s efforts in Montgomery County to provide nutrition education programs to low-income individuals and families. She is an active member of the Food Literacy Working Group of the Montgomery County Food Council and the School Wellness Group of Healthy Montgomery’s Eat Well Be Active Partnership. She has over 15 years of experience in the field of nutrition education, and has worked as a clinician and researcher in addition to her teaching role. Joi holds an MS from the University of Georgia and is a Certified Nutrition Specialist and a Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist. She also has an MS in Herbal Medicine and is a clinically trained herbalist. Joi is passionate about food and healthy living, and greatly enjoys her work with FSNE to help Marylanders make healthier eating and lifestyle choices.

Amy Wolpert is a Nutrition Educator for the University of Maryland Extension Food Supplement Nutrition Education (FSNE) Program. Amy is a registered dietitian and currently provides nutrition education to low-income Maryland residents through the FSNE Program. She works with several elementary schools and youth out of school programs throughout the Baltimore City and County area, and encourages healthy choices and active lifestyles with children ranging from grades pre-kindergarten through middle school. Amy focuses on providing gardening and nutrition education to many of the sites she partners with, and has assisted these sites in building, planting, and caring for gardens, with the ultimate goal of having the kids harvest and prepare healthy recipes with the vegetables they grow.