​Ripley junior horticulturists brave chilly weather to plant garden plot

The Ripley Horticultural Society’s “For Our Youth” club gathered Saturday, April 26, for a chilly but productive meeting, at one of the group’s favourite locations - the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens in Ripley.

The members saw some familiar faces at the horticultural society’s March Break event, but stormy winter weather prevented them from getting together in February, so this was the first official meeting of the year!

The club has two new leaders, Brad Dewys and Natasha Wayland, who are welcome additions to the leadership team, and the youth were excited to meet them.

Leader Rhonda Curran began the meeting with everyone cosied up in the Hoop House (some of the members under blankets!). The theme for 2025-26 is, “From Sod to Supper.”

Rhonda went over the plans to learn about soil, seeds and planting techniques as the club manages its own garden plot that the food gardens graciously created for it.

Members received a “Garden Star” punch card, and every time they visit the garden to weed, plant or just see how things are growing, they can punch their cards. The member with the most visits wins a special prize at the end of the year.

After leader Kim Lowry took attendance (What’s your favourite vegetable?) and everyone joined in singing the club song, leaders Rhonda and Bonnie Ernest organized a game called Ingredient Match-Up.

Bruschetta was our snack for the day, and was prepared by the kids from scratch. To learn about the ingredients, Rhonda handed out little photos of plants in their various stages - seed, seedling and harvest - and asked everyone to try and find the table with the ingredient that matched the photo. The kids had fun trying to figure out what went where, with some of the trickier matches being the difference between garlic and onion, and basil and tomato shoots.

The game brought up some discussion around plant families (a previous year’s theme), before the members got down to the business of chopping, mincing, grinding and slicing the bruschetta ingredients. Each table had a different ingredient and was responsible for getting it just right: garlic was peeled and smashed in a mortar and pestle along with fresh basil; tomatoes and sweet onions were diced; baguettes were sliced and basted with olive oil.

The toppings were scooped into a big bowl and left to marinate while leaders Melody and Bonnie described what the club will be doing in the new garden space. Melody showed off the biodegradable weed barrier and Bonnie talked about seeds that can be planted now (carrots, radishes, onions, peas) and those to plant later in May when the soil is warmer.

During snack time, the members also had a chance to vote for their favourite vegetable to plant. Then they zipped their coats tightly against the wind and headed out to see the new garden.

The club’s plot is four-feet-by12-feet and thanks to Arnie Clifford and Heather Newman for getting the ground tilled and prepared before the meeting!

Rhonda created a beautiful sign, and brought a trellis and some stakes to support the climbing vegetables. The group took turns helping Melody and Bonnie lay out the weed barrier, fighting the strong winds to hold down the material with dirt, rocks and pieces of wood.

Junior leader Josslyn Curran showed the group how to drive metal posts into the ground using a heavy post-pounder. The kids who were brave enough to try it for themselves, got a turn, while other members learned the art of zip-tying by securing the trellis to the posts. Deciding it was too cold and windy to plant anything that day, the members gave their garden a cheer, and retreated to the shelter of the Hoop House.

The marinating bruschetta ingredients sure smelled good when the kids walked back inside! Kim and Natasha assembled the tomato topping onto the basted bread while the group admired garden plans drawn by Dylan, Josslyn and Brooklyn.

Bonnie and Rhonda led a discussion about what types of vegetables the group wanted to have in the garden, which led to a lively debate about whether to have all vegetables, or some fruit, too. Every member got to cast a vote, which Melody tallied on a chalkboard. Some surprising votes were for peanuts and strawberries, which will be fun to grow, as well as such vegetables as corn and eggplant. Zucchini, lettuce, carrots and tomatoes all had multiple votes.

Everyone lined up eagerly for bruschetta snack time, which included cookies and juice donated by the Ripley Horticultural Society. There was enough bruschetta for everyone to enjoy seconds and the recipe will be sent out to the members so they can make it at home, too. Just a taste of what’s possible to create with your own eventual harvest!

The Ripley Horticultural Society’s annual plant sale will take place at Lewis Park in Ripley, Saturday, May 17, and the youth club will have the usual “Plants by Donation” table, so remember to mark your calendars and stop by for a selection of herbs, vegetables, house plants and native plants.

The next club meeting will be held Saturday, May 31, at the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens in Ripley where the kids will be planting seeds and seedlings.

Curious to learn more about horticulture and see what all the fun is about? Contact Kimberlee Feick Lowry at kimberlee1072@yahoo.ca for more details! New members, aged six and up, are always welcome!