NORTH MANKATO — Think of it as farm-style remedial education.

“There are kids out there who have never planted anything,” said Roxanne Kuerschner, one of the instructors this summer at South Central College’s Farm in the City program. “So I look at this as an extension of the classroom, and getting kids to know how to grow things and how it connects to the world.”

Farm in the City starts this week and runs three weeks. Students sign up through Community Education and can go for one, two or three weeks.

While there, they get a taste for what it’s like to plant something, to nurture what they plant, and hopefully, to see some of the results of diligent gardening.

Among the program’s instructors are a chef, a language arts expert and others who can help kids ages 7-16 get a grass-roots look at where food comes from.

They’ll learn about responsible use of the earth, they’ll learn a little history, and they’ll learn about recycling. Case in point: Kuerschner said some of the cans they’ll use to plant seeds came from a pizza restaurant near her home in Waconia.

This is the program’s second year. In year two, the setup is about the same, but the curriculum has changed slightly because many of the students are returnees from last year.

One of them is Joseph Gedeon.

He said he enrolled last year on the advice of a friend. This year he’s back as an employee.

“I liked the experience I had last year,” he said. “And this year I wanted to get some experience working with younger kids.”

All he knew about gardening before he came last year, he said, was “You put a seed in the ground and pour some water on it. That’s it.”

His mind was opened considerably last year when he was shown by a chef how to cook what he grows, how to incorporate ideas of sustainability to the process, etc.

“I learned a lot more about gardening,” he said.

Shane DeLaCruz is also one of the program’s young employees. He worked here last year too. Both he and Gedeon came to Farm in the City through a Minnesota Valley Action Council program.

Like Gedeon, DeLaCruz said he’s looking forward to working with kids.

“I like being able to be outside in the garden,” DeLaCruz said.

Instructor Pam Turbes is teaching language arts and helping the kids complete projects. Because many of the students come from diverse backgrounds, the program is a chance for people to learn about each other.

“We’re educating a regionally growing, diverse community,” Turbes said.

And the things they’re taught can benefit any kid.

“If we don’t teach them these skills,” she asked, “where are they going to get them?”

To register for Farm in the City, call Mankato Area Community Education and Recreation at 387-5501.