"It was the best kale I've ever had!"

In the Fall of 2016, construction began on a high tunnel at our YouthGROW Urban Farm (16 Oread St). This high tunnel opened up an entire season of possibilities by providing the ability to grow through the winter. Bettny Mazur, our Farm Manager, is especially excited about the expanded capabilities of the farm:

"It has been the biggest dream of YouthGROW - to grow all year long - and now we finally have the space to do it! YouthGROWers, volunteers, and kids get to play in the dirt all year long in a space that feels like a tropical rainforest. It's awesome!"

Our first planting in October 2017 included a variety of greens. Once it was time to harvest, we were able to supply up to 50 bags of greens for the Mobile Farmers Market each week. Fresh, local, greens nearly impossible to come by in the Winter, bring a special joy to the people growing them and the customers eating them. Lawreta Kankum, one of our YouthGROW Junior Staff, is extremely excited about the changes the farm has gone through recently:

"The high tunnel creates an extra space for YouthGROW. It looks like just a corner of the farm but we can grow so much in there. I'm excited for the summer because we will have so much growing capability!"

We can't wait to see how much we can grow in 2018 with this additional space! To volunteer during the Summer months, email our farm manager, Bettny Mazur at farm@recworcester.org or follow us on Facebook and stay tuned for opportunities!