Therapeutic Horticulture
The therapeutic horticulture program at City Seeds Urban Farm serves St. Patrick Center's "Shamrock" clients. These clients are overcoming homelessness, mental illness, chronic addiction and/or recent prison release. This 15 week program features teaches 10 clients how to grow food, improve nutrition literacy and a strong connection to their recovery goals through the 12 Steps of Gardening, nature journaling, maintaining personal beds and working collectively at the City Seeds Urban Farm. They attend monthly nutrition/cooking classes, lectures from guest speakers, field trips and monthly progress meetings. Clients attain their personal goals, while supervising volunteers, staffing the Tower Grove Farmers' Market booth, attending plant biology and therapeutic horticulture classes, and learning about sustainable agriculture.
Topics in the Therapeutic Horticulture program include:
- Safety, Equipment and Tools
- Market Sales and Customer Service
- Food Safety
- Harvesting, Washing and Packaging
- Organic Farming
- Composting
- Insects on the Farm: Pests and Beneficials
- Plant Biology
- Intro to Common Vegetable Crops
- Vegetable Crop Maintenance
- Seeding and Transplanting
- Trees Planting and Maintenance
- Ornamental Care
Recent Photos
