Featured Story: Cultivating Peppers AND Passion
Just as positive impact is woven through each day at Bittersweet, it is also cross-pollinated between our three farmstead locations (Whitehouse, Pemberville, and Lima). Over the last few years, Pemberville has been expanding the gardening efforts in their greenhouse, inspiring a closer collaboration between our Pemberville and Whitehouse locations.
Earlier this year, Whitehouse Gardens Specialist, Beth Kuntz-Wineland, trained the Pemberville Team on greenhouse gardening. Since then, the participants and staff in Pemberville have been growing veggies for the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program in Whitehouse. In return, Whitehouse sends soil, supplies, and guidance to support Pemberville’s gardening endeavors. The residents who live in Pemberville and work in the Whitehouse Day Program take pride in making these deliveries as part of their commute!
Jonathan, a rising senior in the Pemberville Transition Program, has emerged as a leader among his peers in the Pemberville greenhouse. His passion is growing peppers—the hotter, the better! This spring, Jonathan worked in partnership with Beth and the Whitehouse Gardens Team to germinate his hot pepper seedlings in the Whitehouse greenhouse, as peppers are notoriously challenging to germinate. Once the seedlings were established, Jonathan transported them to Pemberville where they have been thriving under his watchful eye.
We recently caught up with Jonathan during his morning rounds in the Pemberville greenhouse. As he checked on his plants’ progress and harvested veggies, his love of gardening was evident: “Oh my gosh! Look at the size of this zucchini! My okra are monster sized; they are beasts!” When he reached his prized pepper bed, his excitement was over the top: “My favorite peppers to grow are Carolina Reapers and Scorpions,” he explained, “The Carolina Reapers are the hottest peppers on earth, and these little guys are almost ready! First they turn orange, and when they turn red, I will pick them!” We asked Jonathan what he loves most about gardening, and his answer was short and sweet: “It just makes me happy.”
Intervention Specialist, Josh Foxhuber, explains how Jonathan’s pepper project connects to Bittersweet’s philosophy of Meaning & Motivation: “The pepper bed caters to Jonathan’s interests, motivating him to check on all of the plants daily.” Staffing Manager, Mark Misko, notes that as with everything at Bittersweet, this would not be possible without partnership between participants and staff: “Our team of Cherie, Linda, and Emily have gone above and beyond in building bonds with the students in the greenhouse throughout the growing season.”
When Jonathan visits the Gardens Program in Whitehouse for mentoring and to cross-pollinate inspiration, he is always eager to share updates with Beth and learn new skills. Beth says, “Jonathan’s whole face lights up when he gives me updates on the plants under his care, especially his hot peppers! He is already an amazing gardener and well on his way to becoming an expert!” We agree, and we cannot wait to watch him Learn & Grow!
