​Youth, adults learn about healthy soil at Ripley Horticultural Society March Break Fun event

The Ripley and District Horticultural Society welcomed 22 youth and about 30 adults to the March Break Fun event, Wednesday afternoon, at the Ripley-Huron Community Centre.

President Wayne Koch said the society was thrilled to finally get together after cancelled meetings in January and February due to wintry weather and poor road conditions. And it was always fun to have young people at the meeting, including members of the society’s “For Our Youth” club.

The club's leaders organized the meeting, based on this year’s theme, “From Sod to Supper.”

Former youth leader Heather Newman was joined by current leaders Kim Lowry and Melody Smillie in running the activities.

Newman began with a discussion about soil because the club plans to grow a vegetable plot at the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens in Ripley this season.

She outlined different kinds of soil, including sandy, loamy and clay, and emphasized that dirt is alive and full of various organisms, including worms, bugs, etc. It’s part of an eco-system which is a community that helps feed each other what everyone needs.

Newman said that humans are part of this eco-system and can help support soil life through diversity (crop rotation and cover crops), organic inputs (compost and mulch), and minimal disturbance.

Smillie directed the group on the creation of garden marker stakes, using colourful beads strung on recycled wire hangers.

Then, while the adult members of the horticultural society held their business meeting, the youth went upstairs and played relay races and vegetable bingo.

The “For Our Youth” club will hold its first meeting April 26 and start getting soil ready for growing the vegetable garden. Members will have monthly meetings, growing challenges at the food gardens, and end in the fall with time in the kitchen cooking up their harvest.

There is still room for young people, aged six (by Jan. 1) to 16, to join this group. Membership is $5 and inquiries can be directed to Smillie at melody.smillie@gmail.com.

The horticultural society’s executive includes, president Wayne Koch, past-president Rose-Marie Meyer, 2nd vice-president Gail Lotton, secretary Dianne Simpson, treasurer Heather Newman, communications co-ordinator Christine Roberts, and directors Susan Miszturak, Cathy Lobraico, Debbie France, Shirley Galloway, and Bonnie Ernest.