Worthington Farmers Market: June 17

This week's newsletter comes from a friend and customer of the Worthington Farmers Market , Maria Cannon. The Benefits of Gardening is all about the benefits for your mind, body and soul. Enjoy!

Gardening is a hobby that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels. It is an activity that builds up both mental and physical health, and it creates a sense of accomplishment even in its simplest forms. Gardening can be especially beneficial for children with special needs, and some simple accommodations can make a world of difference in helping kids with special needs enjoy this activity.

Kids Gardening points out that spending time in the garden is an activity that engages multiple learning styles and senses, making it a great activity for kids with special needs. While children with special needs may have trouble doing some hobbies and activities that their peers embrace, gardening is highly adaptable and beneficial to kids of all need and skill levels.

When setting up a garden for a child with special needs, whether those needs are related to physical limitations, ADHD, autism, or developmental delays, it helps to consider modifications that can make gardening easier and more accessible. Be sure to keep the process open and flexible and as Gardening Know How details, choose plants that will grow well in your area so that your child will quickly experience some success.

Planet Natural suggests that gardening can be especially beneficial to children with sensory processing disorders, and it is important to be particularly aware of plant choices if you are aiming to develop a sensory garden. The goal is to make this hobby relaxing, calming, and gentle, providing a safe place for kids who may struggle in other settings. Aim to utilize plants that will stimulate a child via all of their senses and think about other materials used in the space like bricks, grass, chimes, and foundations too.

Gardening is an excellent way to get some physical exercise, even for kids with some physical limitations. It utilizes many types of movement and can be a wonderful outlet for getting kids moving without them realizing that they are exercising. In addition to the physical health benefits, however, there are big mental health benefits too.

The Daily Beast details that gardening can help children with special needs develop self-reliance and emotional regulation, and it helps with cognitive development too. Gardening is a reliable outlet for relieving stress, reducing depression, and even helping with addiction. It has also been shown to be quite helpful to students dealing with or at risk for ADHD. Tending a garden stimulates the brain and develops problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and it is often a valuable outlet for socializing with others.

Making a garden accessible to a child with special needs does not need to be complicated. You may want to put a boulder, bench, chair, or stool in the area for a child to sit on comfortably, and raised garden beds can be useful too. Kid Companions recommends using plants that grow up vertically to make access easier and hanging plants or window boxes can be a great fit for kids with disabilities as well.

While gardening is a wonderful hobby for children from a physical wellbeing perspective, it has significant mental health benefits too. Children of all skill levels and ages can succeed at gardening, but it is an activity that can be especially beneficial for kids with special needs. A bit of planning ahead of time in terms of garden layout and plant choice can set the stage for success for children with special needs. This is a hobby that can reduce stress levels and raise a child's confidence. These are valuable qualities that can be useful in other areas of a child's life as well.

Thank you, Maria!

We want to hear from you! Over the next few weeks and months, we'll be surveying on a number of topics. The purpose? To make this market better than ever! Click here to share your thoughts!

NOTE: No Market Sharpener for Saturday, June 17.

Our vendors for Saturday, June 17 include (in both alphabetical and numerical order):

1 J-POPS 2 Oink Moo Cluck Farms LLC 3 Ohio Farm Direct 4 Wishwell Farms Produce, LLC 5 Wishwell Farms Produce, LLC 6 Dana Lee's Bakery & Catery 7 Sweet thing gourmet 8 Root 23, LLC 9 Toad Hill Farm 10 Curly Tail Organic Farm 11 Oakleaf Farm 12 Oakleaf Farm 12.5 Kombu Tea 13 Farmhouse Herbs and Flowers 14 Purple Sage Bakery 15 zemnicki farms and greenhouse 16 zemnicki farms and greenhouse 17 From My Garden 18 Hosta Haven 19 Pies by The PieMan 20 Raven Rocks 21 Kingdom Fish 22 Krazy Kraut 23 Brown Bros. Farms, LLC 24 cottage garden 25 cottage garden 26 Miss Cristy's Bakery 27 Gillogly Orchard 28 Gillogly Orchard 29 Philip Keller Designs 30 Philip Keller Designs 31 Ramble Coffee 32 Speckled Hen Farm 33 Speckled Hen Farm 34 Up the Lane Farm 35 Weed Knob Acres 36 Rock Dove Farm 37 Jorgensen Farms 38 Dan the Baker LLC 39 Gourmet Candy by Karen 40 Allergy-free Bake Shop dba Soodles Bake Shop 41 cedar cress farm 42 Chuck Evans' MONTEZUMA Brand Sauces & Salsas 43 Pleiades Maple Products 44 JNA BREAD BAKERY 45 Native cold pressed 46 Sadie Baby Sweets 47 Fox Hollow Garden 48 GoldenLife Dog Food 49 Stevens Family Bakery & Orchard 50 The crazy cucumber 51 VanScoy Farms 52 VanScoy Farms 53 Operation Buckeye 54 Blue Jacket Dairy 55 Lucky Cat Bakery 56 North Country Charcuterie 56 darista cafe 57 Dos Hermanos Taco Truck 58 Anderson Orchard 59 Honeyrun Farm 60 Dangling Carrot Farm 61 KALEZEES Kale Chips 62 Cliff's Greenhouse and Garden Center 63 Secret Garden Bakery 64 Michael's Artisan Chocolates LLC 65 A Few Of My Favorite Things... 66 Batter and Bowl 67 Ohio Bison Farm 68 Wayward Seed Farm 69 Franklinton Gardens 71 Baileys Drive Inn Donuts 72 Sippel Family Farm/Kokoborrego Cheese 73 SaraBee Pure Honey 74 Tiger Mushroom Farms 76 Ohio City Pasta 77 Charqui Jerky Co. 78 Organic GreenFix 79 Stonefield Naturals 80 Somerset Herbs LLC 81 Silver Bridge Coffee Company 82 Rhoads Farm Inc 83 Rhoads Farm Inc 84 Spotted Salamander Soap Company, LLC M Rime Time Curiously Crafted Pops

65 A Few Of My Favorite Things... 40 Allergy-free Bake Shop dba Soodles Bake Shop 58 Anderson Orchard 71 Baileys Drive Inn Donuts 66 Batter and Bowl 54 Blue Jacket Dairy 23 Brown Bros. Farms, LLC 41 cedar cress farm 77 Charqui Jerky Co. 42 Chuck Evans' MONTEZUMA Brand Sauces & Salsas 62 Cliff's Greenhouse and Garden Center 24 cottage garden 25 cottage garden 10 Curly Tail Organic Farm 38 Dan the Baker LLC 6 Dana Lee's Bakery & Catery 60 Dangling Carrot Farm 56 darista cafe 57 Dos Hermanos Taco Truck 13 Farmhouse Herbs and Flowers 47 Fox Hollow Garden 69 Franklinton Gardens 17 From My Garden 27 Gillogly Orchard 28 Gillogly Orchard 48 GoldenLife Dog Food 39 Gourmet Candy by Karen 59 Honeyrun Farm 18 Hosta Haven 44 JNA BREAD BAKERY 37 Jorgensen Farms 1 J-POPS 61 KALEZEES Kale Chips 21 Kingdom Fish 12.5 Kombu Tea 22 Krazy Kraut 55 Lucky Cat Bakery 64 Michael's Artisan Chocolates LLC 26 Miss Cristy's Bakery 45 Native cold pressed 56 North Country Charcuterie 11 Oakleaf Farm 12 Oakleaf Farm 67 Ohio Bison Farm 76 Ohio City Pasta 3 Ohio Farm Direct 2 Oink Moo Cluck Farms LLC 53 Operation Buckeye 78 Organic GreenFix 29 Philip Keller Designs 30 Philip Keller Designs 19 Pies by The PieMan 43 Pleiades Maple Products 14 Purple Sage Bakery 31 Ramble Coffee 20 Raven Rocks 82 Rhoads Farm Inc 83 Rhoads Farm Inc M Rime Time Curiously Crafted Pops 36 Rock Dove Farm 8 Root 23, LLC 46 Sadie Baby Sweets 73 SaraBee Pure Honey 63 Secret Garden Bakery 81 Silver Bridge Coffee Company 72 Sippel Family Farm/Kokoborrego Cheese 80 Somerset Herbs LLC 32 Speckled Hen Farm 33 Speckled Hen Farm 84 Spotted Salamander Soap Company, LLC 49 Stevens Family Bakery & Orchard 79 Stonefield Naturals 7 Sweet thing gourmet 50 The crazy cucumber 74 Tiger Mushroom Farms 9 Toad Hill Farm 34 Up the Lane Farm 51 VanScoy Farms 52 VanScoy Farms 68 Wayward Seed Farm 35 Weed Knob Acres 4 Wishwell Farms Produce, LLC 5 Wishwell Farms Produce, LLC 15 zemnicki farms and greenhouse 16 zemnicki farms and greenhouse

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Our Market Activity: Market Sprouts

Our Community Table: Operation Buckeye Join us this, and every Saturday from 8:00am-12:00pm in Old Worthington! Check out our market calendar by clicking here.

For more information, or questions related to any of our services, please contact us via email at worthingtonfarmersmarket@gmail.com. See you at the market!

The Worthington Farmers Market is an event of the Old Worthington Partnership.