Monessen: Garden offers beauty, learning opportunities

By Taylor Brown

tbrown@yourmvi.com

A community garden in Monessen is thriving. 

The garden, maintained by the Salvation Army, is located in a lot owned by the Monessen Redevelopment Authority next to the library.

The site, also known as “the patch,” was started last summer to offer youth and community programing to Mon Valley families in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Last summer, dozens of children registered for the summer program, where they planted pumpkin seeds and then participated in a family harvest festival in October. 

This spring, the patch continued to grow as children once again planted their pumpkins, but also learned about different types of gardening as they planted wild flowers and sunflowers, which are in full bloom, and fresh herbs in the garden.

“The garden is doing so well,” Thwaite said. “This year, in addition to wild flowers, we added more benches, picnic tables and car ports to help the community have better use of it.”

On Tuesdays, more than 20 children and their families come to the garden for a weekly youth program.

This year they have learned about types of gardening, bugs and dinosaurs. 

The program includes a snack and activity that children ages of 3 to 15 complete with their families. 

Other lessons this summer will include birds and a Harry Potter week, and participants will cook baked potatoes to learn how to use fresh herbs in the kitchen.

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