Saturday, May 4, 2019 | 2 a.m.
Grab your shovels, kids! After going dark for the winter, the Lil’ Roots Garden Club returns to Downtown’s Vegas Roots Community Garden.
For $30 a quarter, children ages 3-12 get their own 12-square-foot irrigated garden plot as well as all the necessary tools and equipment to grow a cornucopia of fruits and veggies. The club also offers monthly classes that rotate between gardening, yoga and cooking. Adults can join the fun by renting their own 50-square-foot raised garden for $125 a quarter.
In addition to the thrill of getting your hands dirty, gardening helps children (and adults) learn healthy eating habits, according to Rosalind Brooks, director of Vegas Roots Community Garden.
“I really encourage parents to let their kids plant what they want to eat,” Brooks says. “Kids will eat what they grow.”
Then there are the more holistic benefits. Brooks says starting a garden is a catalyst for overall wellness. “A garden really grows other areas of your life. For me, starting the garden from a desert lot and turning it into what it is really does show me firsthand that I can grow any area of my life. I can turn any type of nothingness into something great.”
This story originally appeared in the Las Vegas Weekly.
