By Ren MacDonald

The Grow Your Own Food program is right around the corner! With 4,530 students currently signed up in DuPage County, it has taken a whole team to prepare for this educational program. Designed to educate children about the origins of their food, the program provides classrooms with tomato seedlings that students will take home and nurture into fruit-bearing plants over the summer.

This program wouldn’t be possible without the generous donations of tools to help grow these plants. We received wonderful tomato seeds from Ball Horticulture Company, five-gallon buckets from Ace Hardware, and reusable cups from 4-Imprint. We are grateful for their donations and so many others that have made this program possible. Many of our members have also donated water jugs that are included in the kits being delivered to classrooms across DuPage County in the first week of May.

Kara Norton, Kristina Baumbach, and volunteer Robin Halicki have been working hard to plan for the program and prepare the GYOF bags being delivered to each classroom. Each bag has a watering jug, pots, scoopers, tablecloths, and trays for soil. Additionally, each student is receiving a growth chart, tomato recipes, and a free DuPage County Fair Pass when they bring their tomato plant. The tomato plant judging will take place at the Fair on July 26th. This program not only fosters hands-on learning but also cultivates a deeper understanding of agriculture and sustainability among our youth. We look forward to seeing the fruits of their labor at the Fair!

 

Bags of supplies packed and ready to be delivered to classrooms across DuPage County

Kristina Baumbach and Robin Halicki packing bags with supplies

We are partnering again with College of DuPage this year to grow the tomato seedlings used for the program! The growing process at College of DuPage has been going great. 52 trays of tomato seeds were planted by Laboratory Assistant, Jane Olsson, and a team of student volunteers. We would like to thank the volunteers Olivia Shetterly, Sati Holloway, Elizabeth Conner, Miranda Casey, Amber Ratcliff, and Paige Unterbrink for all their hard work planting the seeds needed for students!

We spoke with Jane Olsson to learn more about the planting process and student involvement at COD this year. Here’s what she shared:

Q: What did the planting process look like this year?

Jane Olsson: This year, we decided to skip using the seeder vacuum. I found that preparing the seeds on the vacuum plate took about as much time as hand-sowing them, so it made more sense to go the simpler route. Other than that, everything was pretty much the same as last year—we used the 128-cell trays you provided, moistened the media, placed one seed per cell, and then covered the trays with vermiculite.

Q: How were volunteers involved?
Jane Olsson: With more participants involved through the schools this year, we realized we needed some extra help. A few of the student volunteers were new to the process, so we walked them through seeding step by step. But most of them were already experienced thanks to their classes here, and they were able to jump right in and get started on their own.

Q: What kind of care do the plants need until they’re transferred?
Jane Olsson: From now until they’re transferred, it’s all about keeping the seeds moist so they can germinate. We continue watering regularly, and since we fertilize the entire greenhouse once a week with 3-2-4 Nature’s Source, these seedlings get fertilized too. We did the same thing last year, and I’m sure it helps the seedlings develop strong roots—perfect for when excited kids are ready to handle them!

 

Laboratory Assistant Jane Olsson and a student volunteer planting tomato seeds

Tomato seedlings sprouting up at the COD Greenhouse

Volunteers are helping deliver the supplies across DuPage County May 5th – 9th, so keep an eye on our social media and next month’s publication for updates!