By BECKY THOMAS
Staff Reporter
What does it take to run a farm? Or even just plant and maintain a garden?
Some city kids may not know, and the new PEACH farm is hoping they want to learn. PEACH—People for Environmental Action and Community Health—will host several weeklong farm camps for kids this summer at their new farm outside of Cheney.
“The camps are kind of just the basic understanding of how farms operate and how we make connections with the earth, just manipulating it, bringing all of our different senses to the surface and using them and seeing how it can shape a farm, a working farm,” PEACH executive assistant Katie Trujillo said.
Farm staff and volunteers have been busy preparing the farm, located at 10425 S. Andrus Road six miles from Cheney, for young campers. The 30-acre site was purchased by PEACH just a few months ago, a major upgrade from the 1-acre location they relocated from in Spokane Valley. Organizers plan to use the expansion to grow their production while they educate, inspire and feed the community through local, sustainable agriculture.
Trujillo said there is still a lot of work to do at the farm, including planting seedlings from the greenhouse, feeding goats, weeding and watering the gardens. Kids who attend one of the three weeklong day camps this summer will learn about farm life, but also learn to interact with nature.
“[There are] those kids who have never even thought of farming or a garden. Or they just want to get outside and run around in a big open field and woods,” Trujillo said. “We want to foster a sense of community here on the farm and take that sense of community and apply it to their home life.”
The camps—split into “Roots,” “Sprouts,” and “Shoots”—run periodically starting in June and cost $200 for the week.
The “Roots” camp will introduce kids ages 7-11 to farm life, Trujillo said, and cover basic farming skills as well as sustainable techniques. Sessions are scheduled for June 14-18, June 21-25, July 19-23 and Aug. 16-20.
The “Sprouts” camp—June 28-July 2 and July 26-30—is a continuation of the learning in the “Roots” camp, and will go into details of permaculture farming and teach kids to identify different plants and beneficial bugs. “Sprouts” is also aimed at children ages 7-11, and completion of “Roots” is required.
Finally, the most advanced “Shoots” camp is for teens ages 12-15. Campers will spend time on the farm, gaining experience working with goats, gardens and greenhouses. They will also help at PEACH's farm market and learn about seed saving, permaculture principles and self-reliance.
Trujillo said each camp could handle 25 participants, with three counselors teaching. There are also a small number of scholarships available for those who qualify. There are also day camps scheduled throughout the summer. For a full schedule and more information, contact Trujillo at 981-8560 or visit http://www.peachlocal.org.
Becky Thomas can be reached at becky@cheneyfreepress.com.
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