Students at Lee Elementary School (LES) are getting their hands dirty while they learn how to care for plants as well as incorporating their school gardens into their classrooms studies.
Lisa Smith, a Language Arts and reading teacher at the school, has a group of students that are excited and energetic about the garden they get to care for.
“[I enjoy] planting the seeds in the soil,” said student Ashton Sapp.
Along with the garden, students have been reading The Edible Schoolyard by Chef Alice Waters, which documents how Waters helped create an urban edible garden at a middle school in California and introduced the students to the importance of clean and organic eating.
The school gardens at LES are also edible; Smith’s class have sampled the delicious produce of their labor, such as the crisp, garden fresh lettuce, bok choy and collard greens, all of which, the students agreed were “delicious.” Their favorite was definitely the collard greens, as Smith cooked them with a bit of ham for flavoring.
The students also have carrots, tomatoes, radishes, squash, cucumbers, thyme and parsley growing in their raised bed garden. The plants that have created extra sprouts and need more room to grow, have been placed in extra containers and along the fence in hopes of creating a climbing garden.
Indoors, the class has budding seedlings growing with the aid of artificial lighting from a grow light. After the seedlings grow stronger, the class plans to transplant them outdoors as well.
“I like getting [my hands] dirty,” said John Luke Wilson in regards to the garden. He also expressed how much he has enjoyed helping other, younger students with their gardens.
Every student had their own preference on what has made the garden enjoyable; Stetson Wirick enjoyed eating their produce, Michael Mobley has felt a thrill from helping their plants grow from seeds and sprouts to the big, healthy green plants they are now and Bailie Vickers enjoyed transplanting the sprouts from the classroom to the outdoors.