This content is in Partnership with Old Town Community Garden. All the opinions expressed are my own.

What feels better than an early morning visit in the garden! The aroma of zesty dark green leaves and wet dirt in the early a.m. hours! My kiddos and I took a trip to the Old Town Community Garden located in the heart of Downtown Peoria. It was our first visit to the garden. Our mission was to collect compose and to talk a little about the meaning of a ‘Community Garden’. 

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A Community Garden

Is a great way to get to know your community. It’s also a perfect way to learn and connect with individuals that have the same interest as you. A passion for gardening. A place to nurture, sustain and develop together as a team. They say it takes a village to raise a baby, but it also takes a community to grow a beautiful garden such as Peoria’s Community Garden. I did learn a few trick from the gardener that I’m excited to try out with my potting garden!

Compose

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I found the compose at the garden quite unique! As I spoke with the community gardener there, he mentioned compose in the sense of ‘food that you already eat’. Think about when your cooking or making quick snacks. You can use things like fruit and veggie scraps, tea bags, nuts and egg shells, herbs, pasta, and bread. I’ve also learned that Non-Food products can also be added to your compose. 

Here is a few things that are Biodegradable.

• Toilet paper rolls
• Muffin wrappers
• Paper fast food packaging
• Construction Paper

Educating to eat better

Do you have problems with getting your kids to eat their greens? I DO! As a mom I would love for my babies to eat their greens and veggies daily! It is a struggle in my house everyday.

Teaching kids to grow a garden cultivates good habits. It gives children a better understanding on where their food comes from. Gardening success has a lot to do with consistency and time management. And of course, eating the fruits of your labor! Nothing feels more rewarding than making a delicious meal right from your very own ‘Kitchen Garden! The sense of accomplishment is Powering!! 

What we took from our field trip

• Never use Aluminum or Tin foil, Plastic or Styrofoam for compose storage.
• Consider biodegradable for composing to go the extra mile. The richer the compose, the better!
• The community garden offers FREE Lawn Service for Elders, Individuals with Disabilities, or Low Income households. Check out Peoria Community Garden for more info.
• Continue to teach our children about food and where is comes from.

I highly recommend taking a trip to your local Community Garden for resources, gardening tips and teaching kids about where food comes from.