By Brian Schultz
Winnipeg Harvest kicked off their Kids Blue Box Gardens Program on Thursday.
The gardening project was established to teach inner-city and all youth the connections between earth, food and the community.
The ‘Three Sisters Garden’ consists of corn, squash and beans. Each vegetable will play a significant role — corn is the oldest sister and stands tall in the centre.
Squash is the next sister and grows over the mound, protecting her sisters from weeds and shades the soil from the sun with her leaves, keeping it cool and moist.
Beans are the third sister, climbing through squash and then up corn to bind all together as she reaches for the sun.
“The children have always had a special place in my heart and I am here to teach them about the ‘Three Sisters Garden’, as well as to get their fingers in the soil and have some fun doing it at the same time,” said Arlene Wheeler, coordinator of the Kids Blue Box Gardens Program.
The program’s use of the three sisters references are a teaching method where the connection between the land and the community is exemplified.
Updated at 11:30 a.m.
