Chicago Botanic Garden

for immediate release

Green Youth Farm Opens Fourth Location at
Dyett High School

 

Media Only:
Julie McCaffrey
(847) 835-8213
jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org

GLENCOE, Ill. (September 1, 2009) — This summer, 17 Dyett High School students began constructing the Dyett Green Youth Farm located just steps from their high school on 51st and St. Lawrence. Managed by staff from the Chicago Botanic Garden, the program provides students with an opportunity to participate in the local food system, obtain their first job, and for many of them, grow their first plant from seed. During this first season, Garden staff helped students reconnect with the origins of food, to redirect eating and activity habits toward healthy choices and to broaden access to high quality food for low-income households.

Thirty raised beds have been constructed and planted this season, with a goal for 2010 of constructing 20 more to eventually produce close to 5,000 pounds of sustainably grown produce each season, to be distributed around the community. This year, the students grew peppers, onions, tomatoes, beets, Swiss chard, pole and bush beans, and okra. Student participants bring food home to their families and sell it in the Bronzeville Community Market located at 44th and Cottage Grove. In the years to come, Quad Communities Development Corporation plans to build an entrepreneurial component into the project by teaching the students how to write a business plan, market and run a business.

To learn about the future plans of the farm, market and students, visitors can stop by the farm (located just east of Dyett High School in Washington Park north of 51st St. on St. Lawrence Ave.) on Tuesday, September 22, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. A farm stand and tour of the garden will be available.

Partners of the Dyett Green Youth Farm include the 4th Ward Aldermanic Office, Chicago Botanic Garden, Quad Communities Development Corporation, Dyett High School, Local Initiatives Support Council, Afterschool Matters, Illinois Department of Economic Opportunity and Growing School Gardens.

For more information about the Chicago Botanic Garden's community gardening programs, visit www.chicagobotanic.org/community or call (847) 835-5440.

###

Editors, please note: The Chicago Botanic Garden's newsroom is online at www.chicagobotanic.org/pr. For digital images, contact Julie McCaffrey at (847) 835-8213 or at jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org.

The Chicago Botanic Garden, one of the green treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 23 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is open every day of the year. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $20 per car; free for Garden members. The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Ill. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org, or call (847) 835-5440 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden and commuter transportation information.
 
The Chicago Botanic Garden is managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts. Through the Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Garden scientists work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives that have global impact. The Center for Teaching and Learning brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and teachers. The Garden's Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening programs provide nationally recognized community outreach and service programs. A program of the Chicago Botanic Garden, Windy City Harvest is an organic vegetable and plant production enterprise that provides instruction in sustainable horticulture and urban agriculture to residents of Chicago’s North Lawndale and West Side neighborhoods.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). The Chicago Botanic Garden is also host to Botanic Gardens Conservation International-U.S., and a member of the Center for Plant Conservation. In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and Horticulture magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices.