Healthy Soil > Healthy Plants
Spring is the season where gardeners start prepping, planting, and pampering their gardens. As a gardener newbie myself, I am learning how to grow peas, long day onions, garlic, and other plants. To help me learn, I have several trusted colleagues that I can consult, such as the University of California Master Gardeners.
Recently, I have been learning about the importance of dirt. Ok, well, my Master Gardener colleagues will correct me and clarify that the correct term is "soil." Whatever you call it, the brown stuff is really foundational to a healthy garden. It provides a critical context for helping plants thrive.
To increase the quality of my soil, I have been trying several different techniques. First, I have been learning how to compost. To do so, I take the vegetable scraps from our kitchen and put them inside my rotating composter outside. I get free coffee grounds from Starbucks and also mix in some aged horse manure and dried leaves. I put plenty of water and rotate the bin every few days.
I also have been learning about vermiculture by growing red wiggler worms in my backyard. I have a plastic bin and put soil, coffee grounds, and vegetable scraps inside. I have a 1/4" drip irrigation line providing water on a schedule managed by an irrigation timer. The worms break down vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and cardboard. I even put some of these worms inside my composter and they seem to like that environment too. Over time, the worms reproduce themselves and so I get even more red wigglers.
After about a month or so, I take the compost and work these nutrients into my existing backyard soil. My backyard's original soil quality, by the way, was quite poor because it contained rocks, sand, and other hard elements. As I water my soil, add compost, and include some red wiggler worms, my soil quality is improving. While I am not a horticulturalist, I understand that healthy rich soil needs the correct pH balance with essential nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. When soil has these ingredients, plants have an opportunity to thrive.
Healthy Developmental Contexts > Healthy Youth
Similar to plants, youth also need opportunities to thrive. Researchers will call these opportunities as "developmental contexts." These opportunities are conditions under which youth have the opportunity to learn, make friends, and have fun. Mary Arnold has written about developmental contexts in her research and has outlined four components to youth developmental contexts: 1) sparks (i.e. our passions that can help others), 2) a sense of belonging, 3) nurturing relationships, and 4) program engagement. Similar to soil, when these developmental context "ingredients" reach their correct levels, youth have an opportunity to thrive.
When I reflect upon the young people I serve in the 4-H program, I realize that healthy relationships with their peers and caring adults are very important to their well being. Also, youth need to feel like they are included in their 4-H community, whether that is a 4-H club, summer camp, or after school 4-H expanded learning program. In addition, youth need opportunities to use their talents and skills to help others. Further, youth need to have access to high quality youth programming. When these ingredients fall into place, youth have opportunities to grow and develop. They have the opportunity to thrive!
Reflections to Consider
So how can we make some connections between gardening and youth development?
- Think about your own life and the people who have made the greatest impact on your growth as an individual. What personal qualities did they have? How did their personal qualities help you thrive?
- What is one skill that you have, which you believe can help others? How can you continue to cultivate this skill so that you can maximize your impact on others?
- Have you ever felt like you felt a strong sense of belonging? What did others do to help you feel like you belonged?
- Do you have a community or group that you belong to? Do you attend regularly? If so, why?