family focus

Marnie Jacobs, 5, of West Bloomfield

Leah Dunn of Franklin, 10, helps harvest

Chaya Schectman, 5, of West

plants green peppers in the Friendship

some greens for a salad from her own

Bloomfield and Yuval Kohn, 11,

Lisa Dunn of Frank 1th her home,

Circle garden.

backyard.

Bingham Farms carry some bo .

iia1'd en.

Carol Shapiro Havis 6 Franklin helps

from the Friendship Circle garde

Chloe Logan
Jewish News Intern

I

magine having your own farmers
market in your backyard — fresh
organic fruits, vegetables and herbs
whenever you please. With help from
TheraGardens, you can.
Carol Shapiro Havis of Franklin started
TheraGardens last year with the goal
of teaching families and organizations
how to sustainably grow their own food.
Through TheraGardens, she stresses the
health benefits of growing fresh produce,
both for oneself and the Earth. Store-
bought veggies can take weeks to make it
from the fields to your table, having lost
much of their nutritional value by the
time they are consumed.
"The carbon footprint is huge — and
don't even get me started on the pes-
ticides," Shapiro Havis said. "I want to
show people that it's fun, easy and much
healthier to grow your own pesticide-free

vegetables at home. They can be picked
shortly before use, and kids love to eat
what they grow themselves. They even
taste better!"
TheraGardens' programs range in price
from $600 to $3,900. Programs include
raised cedar beds, trellises, non-chemical
pest control, organic soil mix, seeds and
transplants, drip irrigation and deer fenc-
ing (with a door). Shapiro Havis works
weekly with clients on their gardens. Once
summer is over, she works with them to
plan and execute fall harvests, under a
sukkah, if applicable; then she returns
for weekly garden coaching the following
summer.
Charles and Lisa Dunn of Franklin are
clients for the second summer. They met
Shapiro Havis at Temple Shir Shalom in
West Bloomfield when their children start-
ed Sunday school together. After learning
about TheraGardens, the Dunns thought it
would be a positive experience for them-
selves and their daughter, Leah, 10.

"I hope to gain togetherness from the
TheraGardens program while doing an
activity together that we all enjoy and is
good for us:' Lisa said.
Leah also is excited about the garden.
"I like it when the tomatoes grow and
then I get to pick them off the stem:
she said. "I also like when people ask
me about it and I get to show it to them.
Oh, and I like eating the mint [leaves]!"
Shapiro Havis worked with the Dunns to
harvest spinach, three kinds of lettuce,
chives, basil, cilantro and parsley, all the
fixings for a tasty salad. Later in the sea-
son, the Dunns will have peas, carrots,
tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers
and zucchini.

Garden Therapy
The Dunns are part of Shapiro Havis' res-
idential gardening program, which works
specifically with families. TheraGardens
also has a therapeutic gardening pro-
gram, designed to engage people with

Carol Shapiro Havis teaches families

about sustainable organic gardening.

physical and mental disabilities as well as
their loved ones.

Garden Grow on page 46

July 21 . 2011

45