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Students Can Plant a Pizza Garden with New Union County 4-H Program

potted plantsUnion County, NJ – This summer, the Union County 4-H program is offering students the opportunity to grow their very own “Pizza Garden” and improve their gardening abilities, too.

“By combining hands-on learning with remote instruction, this gardening project provides Union County students with an enriching experience all summer long, said Board of Commissioners Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “We are very proud to support the 4-H program here in our community.”

The Union County 4-H program is part of a national initiative aimed at providing youth with opportunities to learn, lead, and share their knowledge. Union County 4-H is run through the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County, with support from the Commissioner Board.

Each participant in the Pizza Garden project will receive a starter kit consisting of a container stocked with oregano and basil seedlings to plant at home, along with a marigold seedling for decoration.

The program also includes a series of free, optional biweekly virtual meetings. Participants will learn how to care for their seedlings, hone their hone their gardening skills, improve their presentation skills, and complete community service.

The series of meetings will begin on June 18 and conclude in August with a harvest contest among the participants.

  • Students in grades k-3 will meet for one hour on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
  • Students in grades 4 and up will meet for one hour on the first Monday and third Friday of each month, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

A limited number of pizza garden starter kits are available free of charge. To request a pizza garden, contact Union County 4-H Agent James Nichnadowicz at jnichnadowicz@ucnj.org.

Union County students who are interested in joining 4-H can choose from a wide variety of clubs, from archery, Lego robotics, and anime to cooking, coding, and gardening. Students can also explore a topic of their own choosing.

During the school year, 4-H clubs meet approximately once each month from October to June. In-person clubs were suspended for the 2020-2021 school year due to COVID-19 safety rules, and new online activities are available. To find out more, visit the 4-H at Home program, nj4h.rutgers.edu/4h-from-home.

The Union County 4-H offices are located at the Cooperative Extension of Union County, in the Colleen Frasier Building at the Union County Complex, at 300 North Avenue East in Westfield. For more information on how to join Union County 4-H, contact Union County 4-H Agent James Nichnadowicz at 908-654-9854 or jnichnadowicz@ucnj.org.

For more information about all Extension programs in Union County, including the popular Master Gardeners and Master Tree Stewards volunteer programs, visit the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County online at ucnj.org/rce.

For information and updates on all Union County services during the COVID-19 outbreak, including the Union County COVID-19 Test Center at Kean University, the Mobile Test Unit, vaccination information, emergency food distribution and other support services, visit ucnj.org/covid19. General information about COVID-19 is available through the New Jersey Department of Health at nj.gov/health.

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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

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