Craig Howell STARTING THEIR GARDENS – Twenty youth from the Weirton Christian Center started their own small gardens Wednesday, with support through a program founded by city native Annetta Weller. The Summer Salad Garden Project is designed to teach the youth of the importance of healthy food, and how it can be grown at home.

WEIRTON — Some youth at the Weirton Christian Center are hoping to develop their green thumbs this summer with support from an area native looking to give back to her hometown.

Annetta Weller, a third-generation Weirtonian now living in Florida, visited the Christian Center on Wednesday to teach 20 children how to grow a summer salad garden.

Each child received a take-home garden kit that included a container filled with potting soil, a dwarf cherry tomato starter plant, and seeds for leaf lettuce, bush cucumbers, basil and radishes.

Weller said the project is designed to teach children how to grow their own fresh, healthy food at home, even in a small space. The Summer Salad Garden Project, she explained, offers an opportunity for families to supplement their nutritional needs and help provide food at home.

“We want to encourage them,” Weller said. “They can eat all summer long.”

Kim Weaver said Weirton is serving as a testing ground for the Summer Salad Garden Project, with Weller selecting her hometown as the launching point.

“This is a pilot program she wants to spread across the country,” Weaver said.

With assistance from volunteers, the children were shown how to properly plant their tomato starters and were given instructions on planting the remaining seeds and caring for their gardens.

Weller said the small gardens also could help families save money, with the produce potentially contributing to several meals throughout the summer.

The program also reinforces lessons already offered through the Christian Center.

“We have a curriculum all summer,” Weaver said, noting children attending the center already have been learning about gardening and the importance of fresh produce through the community garden located near the facility.

Weller said she hopes the effort will inspire others in the community to try growing small gardens at home.