Join us as we explore the art of creating gardens and raised garden beds, providing you with valuable resources and tips to kickstart your green journey. Discover how simple acts of cultivating the earth can impact the lives of our youth and families, fostering a foundation of health and wellness for generations to come.
We invite you to share your personal stories of gardening triumphs. Let’s celebrate the joys of nurturing plants and reaping the benefits of fresh produce together!
In addition to gardening, we’ll introduce you to exploring local farmers markets to engaging in outdoor activities tailored for diabetes prevention. Keep an eye out for the Longest Day of Play in June, where we’ll champion the importance of staying active, and Healthy Picnic Ideas in August, offering wholesome alternatives.
Meet The Food Literacy Project
Welcome to the Kentucky Diabetes Network’s collaboration with The Food Literacy Project for the kNOw More in ’24 campaign! We’re thrilled to join forces with an organization dedicated to nurturing our youth and fostering a deeper understanding of food. Together, we’re not only cultivating young minds but also sowing the seeds of health and wellness by introducing families to the joys of fresh vegetables and cultivating healthy habits.
Resources and Tips
Explore our collection of gardening tips from trusted sources below. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, these resources will provide valuable insights and inspiration to cultivate your green space with confidence.
The Food Literacy Project
Small Garden Tips In English and Spanish. CLICK HERE
USDA
American Heart Association
UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
Gardening and Raised Garden Beds
Lynnett Renner, RD, LD, LDE
When the gray skies and the bitter cold of winter turn the page of time to spring and sunshine, I grow eager to plant things that are green!
My husband and I start many of our plants in a small backyard greenhouse such as tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, and peppers that will be transplanted to the garden. There are some plants such as lettuce that will be sown directly in a raised bed. A variety of lettuce is planted: Black Simpson lettuce, arugula, buttercrunch, and romaine for different textures and tastes.
Cold weather plants that are more resistant to frost are planted early in raised beds such as sugar snap peas, green onions, celery, broccoli, cabbage, and kohlrabi. We use canvas over the plants for extra frost protection. There are so many different types of containers that can be used for raised beds and the options are endless for the veggies (and fruits such as strawberries) that you can plant. Our raised garden has been created using repurposed metal tanks that make fine round sturdy containers, used mineral tubs that our horses and cattle gladly emptied for us, and we have even used bull dozer track treads. The bottom layer of the containers often is filled with a fine layer of rock or gravel. Then we add manure from horses and cattle that has been composted, and finally top soil.
The track treads pictured above are filled with top soil and we have created an arbor that our cucumbers can vine and grow. The second picture from right shows how the cucumbers vine. Cucumbers will just dangle and dare you to pick them! Sometimes we create a raised bed that we locate in the main garden area with a low tunnel that allows plants to be protected from frost. Once the plants start to mature and the danger of frost has passed the canvas is removed. But the best part of all about raised beds and gardens is when the harvest comes in and your plate is filled with fresh nutritious foods! There are many days in the summer that our plate is contains only foods that have come from our farm.
Call to Action
Whether you’re a healthcare professional, advocate, or someone with lived experience, your voice carries weight. Let’s unite in amplifying our collective stories to drive positive change in diabetes care.
Share your story. Make a difference. Together, we empower. 🌟 #KDNkNOwMorein’24
Briefly describe your story on the contact form below and we will reach out to you.
Thank you for participating in our Call to Action!
To spread the word about our campaign and to have your story known, complete this survey for a” kNOw MORE in ’24 “ tshirt:
kNOw More in ’24 – T-shirt Order Form Survey (surveymonkey.com)