---
title: From A to Zucchini
date: 2022-07-27T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/from-a-to-zucchini"
section: Articles
---
# From A to Zucchini

*July 27, 2022* — by [Sala Levin ’10](/author/sala-levin-10)


> University of Maryland Extension Takes Urban Gardeners in Baltimore to Farm Field School

*Farmer Field School 07082022 SC 7417 1920x1080 — Neith Little, right, the University of Maryland Extension agent for urban agriculture in Baltimore, helps Zaire, 13, left, rinse off after a lesson about soil texture. Little hosted a Farmer Field School session on July 8 in Baltimore, where she led urban gardeners and backyard farmers in learning how to grow and care for fruits and vegetables.*

On a steamy July morning, in a small community garden between the First Tabernacle Beth El church and a rowhome featuring Baltimore’s characteristic white marble steps, Neith Little points out the segments on the body of a beetle peacefully crawling around in the soil she cups in her hands.

“The segments are not as obvious on this guy because he doesn’t have much of a waist,” she said, helping clue in an observer as to what kind of bug he might be. “He’s a chubby, chubby beetle.”

Little, the University of Maryland’s urban agriculture extension educator for Baltimore, is leading a small group of urban farmers and backyard gardeners through a hands-on (and hands-dirty) session of Farmer Field School, a program she’s run since 2017, reaching some 400 people over the years. In today’s class, students are learning about soil textures and invertebrate identification while also harvesting crops and preparing part of the garden for a new shed. It’s all part of a larger effort to help city farmers gain the skills to raise crops for their own use or for sale–especially important in places like Baltimore where many residents live in food deserts.

“Believe it or not, there are about 25 farms in the city that sell at least part of what they produce,” said Little.


*community garden*




**Topics:** [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)


**Tags:** [Food](https://today.umd.edu/topic/food), [University of Maryland Extension](https://today.umd.edu/topic/university-of-maryland-extension-2)


**Units:** [College of Agriculture and Natural Resources](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-agriculture-and-natural-resources)