Getting kids to eat their fruits and vegetables isn’t hard when you give them a Tower Garden.
That’s the word from Carolyn Carman, who through her Juice Plus+ business donated the Tower Garden — otherwise known as a vertical aerponic system — to the Edmonds Boys & Girls Club.
“We are teaching children the value of fruits and vegetables and teaching ways to be more sustainable with less of an impact on the environment,” Carman said.
About eight to 10 kids participate in the Garden Club but others “want to join in when we are eating salads and fresh veggies,” Carman noted. “They picked their seeds and planted them, watching them grow each week. Weekly there’s a lesson, how this is helping the environment, and why we are doing this. We learn new words, share about the importance of the pH, what is photosynthesis, and eat the produce straight from the tower. They try new veggies like bok choy or arugula.”
According to Carman, the tower — which grows food for about six months before replanting is required — uses just 10 percent of the land and 10 percent of the water of a typical garden, with no weeding or chemicals. Plant tower creator Tim Blank was the master horticulturist at “The Land” at the Epcot Center and NASA, she added.
Currently, the tower features three varieties of lettuce, kale, rainbow chard, bok choy, arugula, nasturtiums and peppers, she said.
You can learn more about Tower Gardens here.
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