The Family Gardening Program at Hilltop provides a fun, interactive, garden-themed learning environment in which families learn and work together through gardening. The Family Gardening Program is free and is for families with children ages 3-9. The garden program will mainly focus on growing edible plants (including fruits, vegetables, and herbs) as well as flowers.
The 2022 Family Gardening Program will run June 13th through August 6th. Families register for one of two time slots, Mondays from 6:30pm – 8pm or Saturdays from 8am to 9:30am, and come to Hilltop every week during the time slot they’ve registered for. After August 6th, during Hilltop’s open hours participating families will be able to continue to come to Hilltop to tend to their garden plot and harvest from it, however no formal programming will be offered. There are a limited number of spaces available, so please only register if you are able to commit to consistent program attendance and participation.
A ‘family’ must include at least one responsible adult who is 18 years or older, and one child. There is no limit to how many people may participate per family. Not all family members are required to come to each weekly program, as long as at least one child and one adult attend each week.
Participants in the program receive weekly gardening instruction through hands-on, family friendly gardening activities. Each family is provided with a garden plot at Hilltop that they maintain through the 2022 growing season. Plants, seeds, fertilizer, tools, and materials are provided; however, you are welcome to bring your own seeds or plants. Participants take home the produce and flowers grown in their garden plot as well as additional herbs grown at Hilltop.
Parents/guardians are responsible for the supervision of their children during the Family Gardening Program at Hilltop. While Hilltop staff will be present each week to facilitate gardening activities for participating families, Hilltop staff will not be responsible for babysitting children during the Family Gardening Program. Children participating in the Family Gardening Program cannot be left unattended or unsupervised by their parents/guardians.
The 2022 program runs from June 13th through August 6th, and participants are expected to attend each week. If your family will not be able to attend one week, we request that you notify the instructor and ask another family in the program to take care of your garden for you until you return. Because maintaining a garden plot requires weekly attention, participants who do not attend for more than 2 consecutive weeks will forfeit their garden plot and their spot in the program (unless absence is related to COVID-19).
Families are responsible for maintaining their own designated garden plot and the pathways surrounding their plot. Maintenance includes watering, harvesting, and weeding both your designated garden plot and the pathways surrounding it. Consistent garden upkeep is essential to pest and invasive weed prevention. Hilltop staff will not be responsible for maintaining your garden plot or your pathways.
Tools are available for participating families to use while working in their garden plot at Hilltop. All program participants are responsible for cleaning and putting away tools, gloves, and other materials in their proper location every time. Program participants using hoses are responsible for rolling them up neatly after use to prevent tripping hazards.
Close-toed shoes are required to protect feet and toes. On warm days, we recommend families bring water bottles to stay hydrated while working outside in the gardens. While it is very uncommon that someone gets stung by an insect at Hilltop, if you or your child have a bee allergy you should bring an epi-pen every time you are at Hilltop and be prepared to self-administer.
The 2022 Family Gardening Program will take place outdoors. The Historic Council Ring/Outdoor Classroom at Hilltop, which includes benches and picnic tables, will be utilized as the learning space (rather than the indoor classroom). When weather doesn’t allow for outdoor learning, families will be notified if the program is canceled that day. Program participants should not come to Hilltop if within the past two weeks they: (1) have had symptoms of COVID-19, (2) have tested positive for COVID-19, or (3) have been in contact with someone who has symptoms of COVID-19 or someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
Registration is required. Click here to complete the registration form. A limited number of spaces are available in the program. Once those spaces have been filled, the registration link will be inactivated. The registration deadline is 5pm on Sunday, June 12th (or whenever all spots have been filled before that).
Thank you to the Bloomington Garden Club and the Monroe County Master Gardener Association for their support of the youth gardening programs at Hilltop.
