Carolina Youth Development Center
| Organization: |
Bakker Career Center: Carolina Youth Development Center |
| Location: | North Charleston |
| Website: | http://www.cydc.org/ |
| Garden Leader: | Madison Hohman and Fritz Astine |
| Schedule: | Current Garden Schedule |
Garden History
On a warm spring day in 2006, a small group of CYDC teen-agers set out to plant a patch of vegetables and herbs and flowers just to see how it was done. That small garden led to full-scale plans for the open space next to the Bakker Career Center. The young people met weekly in the fall of last year and blocked out plans for an Oak Shade garden, a Pond Garden, and a Vegetable Garden. They talked about footpaths and bridges, theme designs, produce for the kitchen, signs and garden art, and a greenhouse. In 2007, the first phase of the garden was underway. The students built and painted wooden frames for raised beds and planted flowers and vegetables. They built a FarmTek greenhouse and planted an herb garden. The garden was a showplace for their Summer Open House and their Christmas Holiday Craft Fair. The Children's Garden Project was named the CYDC Business Partner of the Year in 2007.
Since then, the youth at CYDC have expanded their herb and vegetable garden to include lemon thyme, cilantro (coriander), Italian flat parsley, dill, fennel, brussel sprouts, beets, turnips, rutabaga, arugula, carrots, collard greens, mizuna mustard, cauliflower, and broccoli-an array of culinary delights (and this was just for the Winter!) They harvested summer lavender, lemon verbena, and lime and lemon mint. The students dried these herbs in their green house, made herb infused glycerin soaps, and flavorful mint teas to sell at their 2008 and 2009 Christmas Crafts Fair. Soon, the students will begin their summer crop of organic seeds (saved from last summer) in their greenhouse, using the composted organic material produced from their hand made compost bin.