Spring is upon us, and things are growing green at the Lori Schottenstein Chabad Center. The week of Tu B’Shevat, the children of the Gan Menachem Preschool began sowing vegetable seeds. As March draws to a close, there are around 700 vegetable and herb seedlings growing in the Gan Menachem Germination Station. The seeds were purchased with funds graciously donated by Gary and Leah Josephson, and donated by Hilliard farmer, “Tomato Bob” Price, as part of his “Seeds to Schools” program. Most of  the plants will be going on sale at the Chabad Center, and at the New Albany Farmers’ Market beginning in late April. The proceeds from the sale will go to support the Gan Menachem Preschool, which will be entering its second year of operation this September. With over 30 varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and herbs, there will be something for everyone to pick out to grow in their home garden, or just a pot on the patio. In addition to the Spring Seedling Sale, seedlings will be set aside to start the Gan Menachem Garden, as well as the Chabad Center’s Friendship Garden.

Gan Menachem will be establishing its own small garden outside the school, but will also be contributing plants to a larger garden plot that will be utilized by the preschool, Lifetown, and The Friendship Circle for educational programming, and good eating. Bringing all three programs together, the Friendship Garden will allow participants from all of the Chabad Center’s youth programs to interact to produce healthy food for the Center, while learning valuable gardening skills, environmental responsibility, and wonder of the variety of our natural world. Produce from the garden will also be sold to raise funds for Chabad programming, and will also be donated to soup kitchens and other organizations dedicated to feeding the hungry of Columbus.

To find out how you can help make the Friendship Garden a reality, or to preorder vegetable seedlings (orders are already coming in so act fast before they’re gone), contact Gan Menachem Preschool Director, Zohar Asbel, by email at lsccpreschool@gmail.com or by phone at (614) 289-8557. Click here for a pdf list of plants for sale (with descriptions), or pick a list up in the lobby at the Chabad Center.Click here for an order form (pdf, no descriptions).