Community Corner

Hewlett Community Garden Yielding Tasty Greens

Talk about a high yield.

The Garden Learning Center, where Hewlett-Woodmere youth have hands-on time planting and growing vegetables, has recently seen an abundance of carrots, cauliflower, peppers, onions, celery, swiss chard, cabbage, lettuce, peas, potatoes, and beans, according to David Rifkind, co-supervisor of the Youth Leadership Forum of Hewlett High School.

The volunteers and students have already delivered five batches of produce over the summer from the garden to the Interfaith Nutrition Network in Hempstead, which feeds Long Island’s hungry.

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“We just finished planting our fall crops and hope to have more successful harvests throughout August and into the fall,” Rifkind said.

The Garden Learning Center was started a few months ago as an initiative by students in the Youth Leadership Forum of Hewlett High School and was supported by the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Schools Endowment Fund as well as by the school district. Bob Sympson is the project’s gardening expert, and regularly meets with the students in Youth Leadership.

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Participants in Hewlett High School’s summer recreation program have made several visits to the garden to learn about green practices they can adopt at home. Rifkind said the group hopes to include more community members in the garden experience.

In June, the gardeners teamed with Lou Muto, owner of La Cucina restaurant on Broadway in Hewlett, and visited Franklin Early Childhood Center to make salad with Muto’s signature pomegranate vinaigrette. Nutritional information and veggie-friendly activities were sent home with the students as well as information about the garden.


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