Science Spotlight with Dr. Tim Mcdermott

April is National Gardening Month, a time to celebrate all the benefits of gardening for our physical and mental health. You have worked extensively with teachers and organizations to promote community-centered gardening. What inspired you to get involved in this kind of work?

I grew up with a family vegetable garden so I enjoyed fresh produce from that. When I graduated college, I started gardening as a stress relief and wellness activity plus I am a cook so that was a great way to get delicious fresh ingredients. I have been a community gardener for the past 29 years at Wallace Community Garden here in Franklin County, which is one of three remaining original Victory Gardens in the United States, started in the 1940s. I started teaching urban agriculture production classes about 20 years ago, long before I joined Extension, when I was still in veterinary practice as there was no one doing this outreach and it was needed as people would come up to me to ask questions at my garden. I started working with schools when I was a vet to engage youth and teachers, so it was a natural process to expand on that once I joined Extension.

How do you see gardening and nutrition education working together to support better health outcomes for communities?

Studies have shown that if youth grow their own food, they are more likely to try the food they grow, more likely to enjoy it, and then request it at home, which can positively impact health disparities. The programs that we built that are being used by schools not only in Franklin County, but state and nationwide, have the students under teacher leadership; plant, maintain, harvest, prepare and taste a different vegetable or herb each month during school. It naturally completes the circle when we join food production and harvest to food preparation, preservation, and nutrition education. They go hand in hand together to get a greater impact. 

How does gardening connect young people to STEM and career pathways in agriculture and natural resources?

Agriculture is Ohio’s #1 industry and controlled environment agriculture is the fastest-growing segment of Ohio’s ag industry. We are now the number #2 state in the nation for the indoor production of fruit, vegetables, and herbs. When I joined Extension, there was some work being done in school gardening, but it was not sustainable work as it relied on traditional gardening techniques, instead of using the academic calendar in a positive way. Using indoor growing techniques such as LED lighting for seed starting and propagation, plus classroom-based hydroponics, we can engage youth at school during class. This can normalize agriculture into their everyday life similar to how a youth would grow up on a farm. We do not grow up kids on farms like we used to, our next generation of skilled agriculture professionals needs to come from urban kids at urban schools. We can place miniature versions of how industry grows right in classrooms to engage youth in workforce development during class every day. In Franklin County, we have students and teachers right now growing all of the vegetables and herbs they would normally grow in the summer such as sweet corn, tomatoes, and watermelon, in their classrooms using hydroponic systems for harvest in September through May.

How does interdisciplinary collaboration enhance your work? Who are your notable collaborators at Ohio State? 

Ohio State University has so much to offer in terms of agricultural experience. By introducing my agricultural collaborators to teachers and students it gives them a broader picture of all of the opportunities that agriculture has to offer. Not just in hydroponics and in ground production but ag literacy, economics, marketing, entomology, water, and nutrient management for example. I can serve as a bridge between my faculty colleagues and the public that I work with to provide a more in-depth engagement experience. Besides my Extension role, I am also a faculty researcher in the Controlled Environment Agriculture Research Center where I connect faculty like me, our USDA and Industry partners, and the general public. Some collaborators of mine at OSU include other CFAES faculty such as Carol Smathers, Kellie Claflin, Cynthia Canan, Chieri Kubota, Mark Kroggel, Fernanda Krupek, Yiyun Lin, Sarah Short, and Risa Pesapane. Plus, all of my wonderful Extension colleagues state-wide. 

What advice do you have for schools and other community groups interested in starting an educational gardening program?

If you are a school in Franklin County, send me an email! I have funding right now from the Franklin County Board of Commissioners through the summer of 2026 to build capacity in agricultural engagement in the classroom and we are transforming classrooms all over the county into vibrant production spaces. State-wide, contact your county Extension office to see what support they have as well as they can reach out to me, and I can share the resources we developed. Just this past year, Carol Smathers and I co-authored Growing Teachers Throughout the Seasons, a guidebook plus 20 online supportive modules that completely walk a teacher through classroom-based agricultural engagement indoors and outdoors at school that has been implemented nationwide by thousands of teachers, that was created in collaboration with Columbus City Schools and pilot tested by 46 CCS teachers. It is step one on how to get started in school-based production that is data-driven and teacher-informed. You can learn more about that project here.

Any closing thoughts?

Engaging students and teachers in urban schools has been very rewarding and impactful. I now work with over 100 schools, 400 classrooms, and thousands of students in the benefits of agriculture and how the opportunities in agriculture can impact lives. If you want to learn more about the programs, projects, and events that I am working on and host in the community, or how to grow your own food for personal and family food security visit Growing Franklin.