Kid Master Gardeners

One great way to grow future gardeners is with the Junior Master Gardeners program, like the one at Morning Side Elementary School in Fort Worth, Texas. At Morning Side the kids aren’t just growing vegetables; they’re also growing friendships and confidence.

In one of the raised beds the children grow garlic, a Paul James favorite!

Learning to be good consevationists, the kids collect rainwater that's stored in a large tank.

The young gardeners are learning how to grow tomatoes hydroponically.

"Don’t forget to pinch off the top leaves of the coleus, called the terminal growth, to make them grow bushier," explains Paul.

Paul takes a tour of the gardens at Morning Side, where he finds more than an impressive selection of vegetables in their many beds: cabbage, broccoli, red cabbage, even garlic, Paul’s favorite vegetable. But there’s more than just vegetables; there’s also a high level of enthusiasm.

Paul learns that this younger generation of gardeners are wiser than their years when it comes to conservation. Instead of using city water, they harvest rainwater and store it in a tank for their gardening needs.

The young gardeners at Morning Side Elementary even grow tomatoes hydroponically, making maximum use of their collected rainwater. They add nutrients to the reserved water and then plant the tomatoes directly into the gravel and water.

The successful gardening effort at Morning Side grows more than just flowers and vegetables. It helps the children build self-esteem, something they'll take with them throughout life.