It was 2012 when the Parish Garden project started in the Parish of Blandford. It was a one-night event held at a Messy church meeting where the children learned to plant in recycled containers.
When Covid arrived in 2020, planting kits were made up and given away. Last year 65 kits disappeared from the bottom of a driveway. This year 80 were picked up at the local convenience store.
More people of all ages started caring for a few plants in their yard. It gave you an extra job watering, fertilizing, or just digging around your plants. The Gates family took it one step further.
When interviewed last year Paityn summed up the feelings of her Covid experience with “I always like helping people, wherever I can. I can’t help people now, but my plants are like plant people that need help to grow.”
The little planting kit grew a few sprouts inside the egg carton. They were transferred to a container and then transplanted again in a box garden Daddy Kyle quickly put together. Every day, 10-year-old Paityn made sure the plants had water and weeds were not invading their space.
Jump ahead a year and there is Daddy Kyle (Gates) putting together a greenhouse. A fence is constructed around two long box gardens. Paityn is raking the box gardens while Cam is shoveling off the soil with Mom (Amanda) and Dad.
Last report says the “church” cucumbers are above ground along with the flowers. The greenhouse is allowing this family to get a head start on this year’s gardening.
Paityn and Cameron will have learned lessons to help them grow their own food in their lifetime. Busy kids in the outdoors. What more could a parent want?
Photo: This year 80 planting kits were picked up from “The Deck” in the Parish of Blandford as part of the Parish Garden project.
