EarthBox Education Director Molly Philbin (left) demonstrates the science behind the EarthBox to Secretary Lawlah and an Expo attendee.
The following is from a recent EarthBox newsletter and deserves posting on the web. The company does much good work on their own and in partnership with The Growing Connection, a UN organization.
Much of what they do is under the public radar and in my view they should get more credit for it. For example, they donate planters and information to help teach plant science and urban gardening to children. In this case, their good work is regarding gardening accessibility for seniors.
I observe that the mainstream media largely ignores the company, the EarthBox planter and the generic subject of sub-irrigated box, bed and bucket urban gardening. We can thank our retrogressive horticultural education for that.
Times are changing however. Individuals are doing what our institutions fail to do all across the country. Although the majority of media garden writers still don’t get it, I see increasingly positive user experiences being shared every day when researching blogs and forums. This positive news is obviously spreading.
EarthBox recently co-sponsored a Senior Citizen Expo Event, "Healthy, Smart, Green and Growing”, in Prince George's County, Maryland. The event was presented by the Department of Family Services Administration on Aging, Behnke Nurseries, and the Maryland Department of Aging to discuss the benefits of growing fruits and vegetables with local seniors.
The keynote speaker, Lieutenant Governor Anthony G. Brown, encouraged seniors to grow their own vegetables to reduce energy costs and to improve their health. Secretary Gloria Lawlah of the Department of Aging kicked off "Pots on the Patio," a program that will help seniors grow and eat more fruits and vegetables to save money and stave off many chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity and some forms of cancer.
The Secretary selected the EarthBox because it requires very little space, is portable, and provides high crop yields. It also conserves energy and resources by using less water and fertilizer, without any weeding, hoeing or digging.
A pilot study of four senior centers in four counties will be implemented in the next few months, with a small population of older Marylanders assisting in the development and nurturing of the EarthBox gardens. The ultimate goal is to successfully embed the Pots on the Patio program within senior centers around the State. Once this is complete, the plan is to bring the program to individual homes.
Raised beds are a good way to facillitate gardening for seniors and those with disabilities but sub-irrigated beds, buckets and boxes like the EarthBox are even better. This is from a recent article on the subject of gardening for seniors.
“Everybody should be able to garden if they want to,” Hynes said. “I’ve been interested in the whole idea of gardening for the disabled because I think it’s a way of getting people involved in doing things they don’t normally get to do.”
The housing complex, at 2040 Don Mills Rd., is home to a new rooftop garden designed to be accessible for seniors with disabilities and starting in May, residents will fill the raised beds with vegetables and flowers. Read more...
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