Oaklawn offers weekly gardening classes for students ages 5 through 10

MARSHALL – Young people can learn life-enriching gardening skills and enjoy the thrill of sharing food they’ve grown themselves, through a series of classes focusing on the Oaklawn Community Garden.

The classes will be held at the Oaklawn Life Improvement Center at 13697 15-Mile Road, and will teach hands-on gardening techniques to children ages 5 through 10.

The classes will be taught in two sessions. The first will be held at 5:30 p.m. Mondays beginning May 19. The second will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays beginning May 21. Both sessions will last through the harvest season in the fall.

Jonah Curtis, a fitness specialist at the center, assisted in developing the program and will teach the classes. Class size is limited to 10 children per session.

The cost is $15 per child for the season and includes a gardening T-shirt, Curtis said. For additional information, contact Curtis at (269) 781-7585.

The garden was developed adjacent to the center to promote fitness through promotion of healthy eating habits as well as the physical work of gardening, Curtis said.

Participants in the community garden do the weeding and tending, and keep what they grow, Curtis said. The program provides watering, dirt and fertilizer.

The project is supported through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Calhoun County Conservation District.