Free gardening program offers more than just food

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A free 10-week online gardening course continues Thursday.

The goal is to encourage people to get their hands dirty while growing their own food.

“Each class has a theoretical aspect where we explain what is to be done and then there are examples, we show things I’ve done in the past or things people have done in the past, so people can see concretely what they can do,” said Julialynne Walker, the facilitator of Bronzeville Agricademy, the free online course that shows users how to grow and harvest fresh fruits and vegetables and to do so from the comfort of their own homes. 

“I think it’s just fun to put something in the earth to watch it grow, take care of it, and see what happens,” Walker said. “It’s also good for us because, without a doubt, things we grow ourselves won’t have the pesticides and the chemicals.”

She encourages viewers who use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to use benefits to purchase seeds and edible plants.

In addition to the food, the benefits of gardening can be therapeutic, Walker said.

“It really calms us down and we are going through so much stress in general and, in particular, in terms of some of the health challenges people are facing, that it’s important to have something that just calms us down once or twice a day,” she said.

Thursday’s Bronzeville Agricademy will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m., is free, and will be conducted over Zoom.

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