Mike Parker: Hidden gem adds a 250th touch
Three years ago, the N.C. State Master Gardeners started the Lenoir County Children’s Garden near the museum at the Richard Caswell Memorial at 2612 West Vernon Avenue in Kinston.
The purpose of this hidden gem is to introduce children – of all ages – to the satisfaction that comes from growing living things in our local soil. The Garden makes this education more accessible and dynamic, with teaching stations, raised beds, and youth-focused programming.
The Children’s Garden provides valuable outdoor learning opportunities for young people throughout Lenoir County, many of whom may not otherwise have access to gardening education or experiences with fresh food production.
This year, the Children’s Garden has added a special row in honor and celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. The Master Gardeners added the “Founding Farmer’s” Row. This addition features plants and planting methods common in the 1700s.
One featured plant is Mullein, known to many as “rabbit tobacco.” In the 1700s, people used Mullein for medicinal purposes to treat a variety of respiratory, digestive, and circulatory conditions.
A favorite flowering plant of the time, grown for its uncluttered simplicity and antique elegance, was the Peruviana Zinnia. As the seasons pass, the blossoms change color from bronze-red, fading to lighter shades of red.
Another important plant from the 1700s was the Plum Granny, also known as the Queen Anne Pocket Melon. This tennis-ball-sized fruit was not grown to be eaten. Instead, ladies carried the small melons in their pockets to serve as deodorant.
Although tomatoes were shunned in the early days of American history for fear they were poisonous, since 1870 the tomato has become one of this nation’s favorite fruits/vegetables. The “Founding Farmer’s” Row features a display of the traditional method of growing “tomatoes on a table.” Instead of using the wire planters, farmers used horizontal table-like structures to protect the plants from insects, cracking, and weather as they ripen.
In addition to the “Founding Farmer’s” Row, the Children’s Garden also has the Alphabet Garden with plants literally from A to Z. When I first saw the title, I wondered what possible plants would begin with Q, X, and Y. I felt a little silly when I saw Queen Anne’s Lace, Xander the Cart, and Yarrow.
The Children’s Garden, along with other Master Gardener projects in other locations, serves as a living classroom where students learn about plant science, environmental stewardship, nutrition, and sustainability through hands-on experiences.
The Children’s Garden also offers an outdoor trail that promotes reading while encouraging physical activity. Seasonal stories adorn the trail, titled “Story Walk through Steps to Health.” Raised garden beds also feature a variety of themes.
The Master Gardeners also stress the importance of pollinators. Birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, small mammals, and, most importantly, bees are pollinators. When they visit flowers to drink nectar or feed off pollen, they transport pollen grains as they move from spot to spot.
Somewhere between 75 percent and 95 percent of all flowering plants on the earth need help with pollination. Pollinators provide pollination services to more than 180,000 different plant species and more than 1,200 crops.
Did you realize that one out of every three bites of food you eat exists because of pollinators? In dollars and cents, pollinators add $217 billion to the global economy. Honeybees alone are responsible for between $1.2 and $5.4 billion in agricultural productivity in the United States.
The Children’s Garden, with its “Founding Farmers” Row, offers rare insight into the history and importance of agriculture to our county, state, and nation.
The next time you pick up fruit or vegetables from your local store, please keep in mind that this produce is the result of the meticulous care and hard work of our local farmers. Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.
