VINTON, Iowa (KCRG) – For 91-year-old Martha Neuzil of Vinton, gardening is more than just a passion.

“My doctor told me I was addicted to it,” she said.

Neuzil started the Vinton Community Youth Garden 14 to give young people a chance to learn how to plant fresh vegetables and healthy eating habits. They plant everything from grapes to apples and whatever else they feel like learning more about.

“Just to enjoy nature, pick flowers if the flowers are blooming,” said Neuzil.

Dozens of neighborhood kids show up every Monday during the summer to help with whatever needs to be done around the garden. Right now, they only meet once a week, but when the veggies get a little bigger, they’ll need more attention.

“When the beans and the cucumbers start, you have to come twice a week because you have to get those cucumbers picked before they get too big,” she said.

Neuzil said they grow hundreds of pounds of food each year. In 2015, she said all the food weighed more than a quarter ton. Once picked, it all goes to the kids and their families to enjoy.

The program is part of the Benton County ISU Extension Office, but a lot of the green that makes the program grow is from Neuzil herself. She said she’s never asked for any money to help with the upkeep of this project. That has all come out of the pockets of the volunteers.

“Not much, not much,” said Neuzil.

For her, this labor of love and the hundreds of hours of volunteerism isn’t about the money. It’s about helping the kids learn about healthy foods and along the way learning all there is to know about gardening.

“It’s a place for youngsters of any age, for toddlers on up, to be outside,” she said.

Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.