HOW THEIR GARDENS GROW

Last summer, Sarah Rochel was working in her Lake Bluff garden with 3-year-old son Rafael and was amazed by everything he plucked to eat.

“Peas, kale, mint, basil, cucumber, and tons of green beans,” says Rochel, “I couldn’t believe it!”

A few days later, walking through the produce aisle at the grocery store, Rafael asked for a green bean to snack on while they shopped. “I was in shock!” Rochel recalls. And then it clicked: “Rafael was interested in eating green beans because he planted and watered them in our garden. He knew exactly what they looked and tasted like, and how they grew.”

This realization galvanized Rochel, making her an ambassador for getting kids and their families into the garden. Before the end of the summer, she created the plan that would launch her North Shore Organic Kitchen Garden consulting and design business.

“It’s so easy for kids, especially toddlers, to become picky eaters and if getting them in the garden helps change that, I want to lead that change,” she says.

The detailed plans Rochel creates for clients lead them step by step through all it will take to grow and harvest from kitchen gardens shaped for North Shore climates. And her planting designs look as pretty as quilt squares.

One recent spring garden example rims plantings of peas, lettuces, kale, and breakfast radish with parsley, rosemary, chives, and more. And the growing guide Rochel provides gives facts for cold, cool, warm and hot portions of the growing season, with loads of information on individual vegetables from arugula to tomatoes. Easing the process visually, Rochel also provides a monthly calendar with pictures and action items on each date to direct clients through planting and harvesting todos.

From her own experience, Rochel is a big believer in the mantra, “We learn to do by doing.” In her former corporate software sales career, Rochel excelled at peer training.

“All those years teaching adults how to use software were great preparation for this,” she laughs. “Teaching in my corporate job, I followed the structure of I do, we do, you do, to help people gain confidence. Teaching how-tos in gardening naturally follows that structure with a hands-on element.”

Cultivating her own gardens, Rochel says she’s learned the biggest lessons through trial and error. “So, for any new gardener, I tell them they will get some things right, some wrong and that’s okay as long as they learn for the next season.”

Rochel adds that spreading love for kitchen gardening with children has myriad benefits. With her own three kids, garden adventures have broadened their curiosity about nature, and instilled pride in the skills they’ve learned as well as creating an appetite for the fresh food they grow.

“Rafael’s favorite garden task last summer was digging up the carrots a few at a time for lunch,” she says. “He was so proud that he knew how to use the big shovel, and that he knows how to start, grow, and cut our microgreens.”

Those lessons expanded to counting and writing letters in the dirt. “And in the winter, we talked about trees going into dormancy, which fascinated him,” she adds.

Beyond family, Rochel now also teaches classes at the Gorton Center: Herb Potting for parents and children, Yoga, Microgreens 101, and Salad School, with more preschool and early elementary options coming.

“I think Salad School is going to be my favorite,” she muses. “We’ll be planting a big container with salad greens, kale, Swiss chard, and herbs. It’s a great introduction for new gardeners who are ready to start growing their own food.”

For more information about North Shore Kitchen Garden, email Rochel at [email protected] or view her Instagram page @ns_organickitchengarden For information about her Gorton Center gardening classes, visit gortoncenter.org/event/herb-planting-yoga-parent-child.