Youth Gardens & Farm Stands

Teaching Kids Sustainable Entrepreneurship 

Imagine a place where inner-city and suburban youths alike could go to learn about gardening, nutrition, food safety, cooking, entrepreneurship and more. It sounds too good to be true, right?

It’s not.

The 4-H Youth Gardens and Farm Stands Project is organizing clubs for learning all these things in a safe and fun environment. With projects like the Pontiac Urban Garden Explosion and the Sun, Water and Seeds 4-H Club at MSU Tollgate Farm in Novi, these opportunities are coming alive each and every day, right here in Oakland County.

MSU Extension 4-H volunteers and staff are leading the way for these youths to get their heads, hearts and hands engaged for healthier living in this innovative program. The project operates in collaboration with MSU Tollgate Farm, Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency, Lighthouse of Oakland County and Baldwin Center of Pontiac, with funding from the Americana Foundation and the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

In this program, Master Gardener volunteers work side-by-side with young people to plan out the gardens, prepare the soil, as well as plant the seeds and maintain the vegetables as they grow. As they work, kids learn about the different vegetables and how they relate to nutrition.

Throughout the season, teens in the clubs will learn about entrepreneurship and how to develop business and marketing plans. When harvest time rolls around, they will put the farm stands into action. These youths will sell their produce—ranging from standards like lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers to more exotic fare such as Latin American tomatillos and chilis—and will learn how to reinvest their earnings into the business venture. Hoop houses (unheated, sustainable greenhouses) are being used, allowing these projects to benefit from an extended growing season.

The youths involved aren’t the only ones benefiting, of course. In the Pontiac club, the kids have cleaned up an abandoned lot and created a garden paradise within the community. Additionally, all members of the clubs can take home to their families the things they have learned about gardening, food and nutrition, and everyone will eat healthier as a result.

Through the Farm Stands Project, the youths involved will learn about plant science, nutrition and entrepreneurship. MSUE Oakland County 4-H Farm Stands Coordinator Bill Pioch says they are learning much more: These kids are learning sustainability, how to be team players and how to turn healthy living into moneymaking opportunities. They’re learning to bring their communities together.

If you are interested in getting involved in one of these clubs or would like to start one of your own, contact Bill Pioch at 248-858-1008.