Staff photo / Bob Coupland La’Daisha Thomas, 13, of Warren, works inside a greenhouse off Fifth Street in Warren where local youth take part in a summer urban farming program.

WARREN — City youth have been spending their summer gaining knowledge of urban farming and making some money in the process.

Martha Conyers Allen, director of the urban youth farming project offered by Free Indeed and USDA, said three days a week local children learn about gardening.

“We are teaching them agricultural skills, and we are paying them $13 per hour for the work they do,” Allen said.

The garden is located off Fifth Street on the city’s southwest side.

The five-week program began in June and received funding from the Youngstown Community Foundation and the African Appalachian Foundation.

Allen said 10 children from the neighborhood have gained skills of preparing a garden and will come back when everything has grown in early August.

The children have planted corn, cucumbers, honeydew, watermelon, peppers and tomatoes.

Allen said Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership will assist in setting up a pop-up market for the children to sell what they grow.

She said special material called perlite is used and added to the soil to help the vegetables grow.

“You add perlite to your soil and it mends the soil, which has clay in it. It helps your plant grow better,” she said.

Perlite is widely used as an additive to potting soils to improve drainage, prevent soil compaction and boost root aeration.

She said much of the soil has clay in it so the perlite helps create a better soil for the children in which to grow their plants.

Allen said parts of Warren are a food desert and growing their own food and selling it will help.

“We mentor them so they can gain skills they can use and teach to others. They are learning to mend the soil, how to plant and harvest. This will also benefit them economically,” Allen said.

She said one important aspect is putting a fence up to keep deer and other animals out of the garden.

The program also took place in 2025, but had only four children participating.

The children have watermelon this summer in a greenhouse, which was sponsored by the USDA.

Allen said that in addition to the garden growing food there is also a pollinator garden.

WHAT CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED

A-aliyah Thomas, 9, of Warren, said she liked learning to plant different items and the best ways to help plants grow.

She planted watermelon, honeydew and cucumbers.

“I like that I can show people what I have learned about planting in a garden,” Thomas said.

Kadar Miller, 17, said he has learned how to irrigate the soil to make it better for planting.

“I have gained a lot of experience using agriculture skills. I want to see what I can do with my own skills and how I progress on my own. I feel I am very capable of planting,” Miller said.

Faye Powell, 8, said she likes planting and wants to be able to see what she can do when planting seeds in a garden.

She said this is the first time she has been part of a program that teaches how to plant seeds.

Jalen Stienstra, 17, said he has learned how planting peppers around the garden helps keep animals away such as deer and groundhogs.

“I like being a leader and helping to teach the other younger children how to plant and grow. I have learned you can market and sell what you grow here,” Stienstra said.

Robert Joyce, 14, said by planting there will be food that grows that can be used by families,

He said he and his family will benefit from what he was able to grow in the garden.

Parent Jessica Hampton said her daughter, Elliana Paige, 7, has benefitted from the program and has shown she can work alongside other children.

“This has been the best experience for her,” Hampton said. “It has made a difference for her. The money she has made she can use to plant at home where we have a garden. This is an amazing program for the kids.”

Master Gardener Anita Bankston said she was impressed by the different gardens, including the pollinator garden.

“Any time you can provide knowledge that is power. That is what they have done for these children,” she said.