Teaching Garden opens in Marietta

MARIETTA, Ohio. (WTAP) -

Kids are able to grow their knowledge through the teaching garden.

Kids in the Washington County Juvenile Center are learning about hard work through gardening.

They have been working on building the garden since November 2021 with the help of Ohio State University.

Thursday was the official opening of The Bob Rothwell Teaching Garden, which is named after a master gardener who helped the kids.

Rothwell talked about how they thought the kids were gardening and made sure they took away something each day.

“Each day when we come out here and have a gardening lesson, and we teach the boys before we start,” Rothwell said. “Then we do the maintenance on the garden and pick the vegetables and so on. At the end of the day, we bring the kids together and ask them what they learned to review what they’ve done.”

Marcus McCartney, who is the Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator for Ohio State University, and Washington County Commissioner Charlie Schilling talked about how the garden is helping kids now and how it will help them in the future.

McCartney said, “My main goal is two things: one, I hope that they get skills a little bit about growing and develop that passion,” McCartney. “The second hope is, its an outlet for them. Research has proven working in the soil, getting the microbes on you, it helps your mental state.”

Schilling said, “Well, I hope they take away the importance of what we have going on in the country right now when it comes to supply and demand and what you can do for yourself,” Schilling said. “What you can build out in your side yard whether you own a place or rent. I think it is important to learn those hands-on activities that make them say, ‘hey I can take care of myself.’”

The kids will continue to learn about gardening as their plants continue to grow.

In the next couple of months, they will continue to reap the benefits of their plants but also their knowledge of gardening.

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