Kids at the Dalton Parks and Recreation Department’s (DPRD) annual summer camp have planted the seeds for their own gardens that will give them fresh ingredients for pizza.
Bruce Frazier, spokesperson for the City of Dalton, said this summer is the first time that the program, which is held at the Mack Gaston Community Center, has included the creation of a community garden for the kids.
Spencer Barker from the non-profit Floating Tree shows DPRD summer campers how to plant seedlings in their garden.
Allison Mitchell
Not only did the kids plant the various seedlings, they also built the raised plant beds, filled them with soil, and are now working to keep them watered, too.
The day after building the beds, the kids shoveled them full of a mushroom compost and topsoil mix before planting the seeds of various kinds of tomatoes, along with bell peppers, and herbs like rosemary and cilantro.
Frazier said the idea grew from a collaboration between DPRD staff, the University of Georgia’s Whitfield County extension service, and a local non-profit call Floating Tree.
Floating Tree is an organization that works to fight food insecurity through education and outreach to teach people how to grow, harvest, and prepare their own food.
When plans for the camp were made, organizers decided to have a pizza party at the end of the program using the ingredients grown in the garden.
The campers are responsible for maintaining the garden for the next several weeks and will eventually make their pizza pies.