GrowNYC brings urban farming to New York City

GOVERNORS ISLAND, New York (WABC) -- A New York City non-profit is growing future farmers with a new program. It's mostly for students, but there is a way that you can join in on the experience too.

It's a quick trip on a ferry, but once on Governors Island, city life seems a world away, especially if you spend your time planting vegetables.

The idea behind the farm, called the Governors Island Teaching Garden and run by Grow NYC, is to offer a unique opportunity many city-dwellers might not get a chance to experience.

"We want to bring young people to the space," Shawn Connell said. "We want to give them a chance to learn about healthy eating, the environment and how things grow, and we want to do it in an interactive way."

So they're hands on, from picking arugula to whipping it up in a blender powered by pedaling. They turn that into a pesto, which they eat.

They also learn about water conservation and the challenges of urban farming, like toxins. And because the program is so in demand, with 5,000 students coming each year, Grow NYC is expanding from 8,000 square feet to 21,000.

But beginning Memorial Day, the program won't just be for school kids. The public will be welcome on weekends to dig in the dirt, urban style, sowing the seeds for some future farmers.