New London County School Garden Network Update

Summer Meeting of the School Garden Network

Join us at the summer meeting of the New London County School Garden Network!  We will be meeting at the FRESH Community Garden on July 22, at 10:00am. The garden is at the corner of Williams and Mercer Streets. We expect a low-key meeting with a lot of opportunities to share how your garden projects are going, to see the FRESH Garden  and learn more about FRESH New London and carve out a plan for future meetings and learning events. Join us!!!

Growing and Learning

Kate Callahan, from Grow Windham at our May School Garden Network Meeting

We want to thank Kate Callahan from Grow Windham for sharing curriculum for children in grades K-5. Through her work as a Food Corps Worker, Kate created learning modules, which correspond the objectives of the Common Core with hands-on learning activities in the garden. These bins will be recreated and housed at FRESH New London office in New London. Teachers and school garden coordinators can then simply check them out for use in their classrooms. Books are on order and bins will be ready soon.

Congratulations to our 2015 Outdoor Edible Garden Mini-Grant Recipients

Bacon Academy
Stonington High School
Integrated Day Charter School
Kelly Middle School
Robert E. Fitch High school
C.B. Jennings Elementary
Mary Morrisson Elementary
Great Neck Elementary
Voluntown Elementary 

Keeping in Touch During Summer Months                         
By Lauren Hickey, Senior at Bacon Academy, Colchester, CT

Planting Day at Mary Morrisson Elem.

Bacon Academy (Colchester’s public high school) is an enthusiastic first-timer on the school gardening scene. We were one of this year’s overly-ecstatic recipients of an Outdoor Edible School Garden Mini-Grant, which has since been used to ignite our program. 

School gardeners know that the peak of the growing season in New England is so...conveniently timed for schools' summer vacation. But, as pious believers in seeds and sunlight, we never doubt that our plants, programs, and projects can thrive with a little nurturing. So without further ado, after "weeding" out what not to do, here are a few humble school gardening suggestions we have come to realize this year. 

Keep it manageable. What works for you? Before buckling down for finals week, we rounded up a small team (two juniors, two seniors, and an AP biology teacher/Community Activism teacher/garden guru/advisor) and assembled a rotating weekly summer schedule since we have a very small operation (5 raised beds) and no real need for intensive maintenance. Our “Greensfest Salad Day” event to kick-off the next school year (serving free salad fresh from our garden) would keep the summer months focused.  We also tracked down Eimy Acevado, a graduate of Bacon and a Food Corps hero in Norwich, for some materials and advice.

Reach out and connect to as many students as possible. We found out that our “Unique Learner,” or special education, program meets daily in the months of June and July. We called on them to water, weed, and even snack at the garden when they had time. Also, we caught wind of a summer lunch program at our elementary school run by the Youth Services division of our Parks and Recreation department. They were happy to take any donations of fresh veggies to put on the plates of those kids most in need of a healthy meal!

Bacon Academy - Beautiful Beds for their Students

Make connections and rally community support. In times when there is a bit more waiting than working, root out other ways to reach potential supporters and advocates of your project. One crisp Sunday morning, we pitched a tent and table at our local farmers market, hung up some posters and a banner, spread out some flyers, laid a basket of snow peas from our garden on the table, and perched to reel in the first lucky shopper to make eye contact (just like any expert salespeople). Among the most interesting and interested passersby were: our current First Selectman, a member of our Board of Selectmen looking to run for First Selectman this fall, a familiar teacher and advocate from the high school, a few young and enthusiastic mothers, a member of the local Vegetarian Society, a culinary teacher from the town next door, avid gardeners, young couples, older couples, and more! We hit the jackpot. A few minutes of face-to-face connection is worth a thousand words of newsletters and press releases (if you talk fast)! Events like these are what build your support systems from the ground up.                                                                                                                  Thank you Lauren for writing for our Blog!  I hope that everyone will consider making a contribution to our New London County School Garden Network Blog.  Please send your writings, garden photos, recipes, and garden ideas to Cindy Barry at Cbarry@llhd.org or call me at Ledge Light Health District at 860-448-4882 and let's grow our Blog!

The New London County School Garden Network is an initiative of the Farm Fresh New London County Schools, a USDA Farm to School Support Program. Funding for School Garden Mini-Grants is provided by the USDA and CT Department of Public Health.

Growing Funds for Your School Garden

The School Garden Network is please to announce the awards for the 2015 Outdoor Edible Garden Mini-Grants. The following schools were congratulated at a recent School Garden Network meeting - Congratulations to: 
Bacon Academy, Colchester; Great Neck Elementary, Waterford; Integrated Day charter, Norwich; Jennings Elementary, New London; Kelly Middle, Norwich; Mary Morrisson Elementary, Groton; Robert E. Fitch Senior High, Groton, Stonington High and Voluntown Elementary.

Fundraising is a consistent question that comes up for schools that are planning,
maintaining, or expanding a garden. Grants are helpful for many school gardens, but are certainly not required! Many schools have found success with raising funds on their own, with or without grant support. Conversations with garden coordinators from around New London County have helped us build this list of best practices for school garden fundraising. What is your strategy for supporting your school garden?

Create a wish list
It’s easier to ask for resources if you know exactly what you need. Putting garden needs into a list format helps encourage people to give what they can, and see where their donation is making a difference. Information to include: number of items needed, cost if bought new, and whether used items would suffice. Also consider putting volunteer hours or specific skills on your list!
 
Ask for help
The response may overwhelm you! Many people are excited to donate or volunteer for a project they can see directly benefits their kids or community. Seek help within your school – parents, students, staff – as well as from businesses, non-profits, and garden enthusiasts in the surrounding community. Make a plan to recognize donors and volunteers. 

 Share your garden story or vision
Get people excited about helping by sharing how the garden will benefit students, stories about what you’ve already accomplished, and your vision for moving forward. Consider developing a 30-second “elevator speech” to share with people on the fly, writing a garden column in your school newsletter, or starting a garden Facebook page to share photos, videos, and quotes. You can also share your story with us – we’ll help you write your story for publication in local newspapers, or across the county via our blog!  http://nlcountyschoolgardennetwork.blogspot.com.

Plan in phases
Some of the most-repeated advice from experienced school garden coordinators in New London County, is to start small and grow from there. This is excellent advice overall, and especially when funds are limited. Set a yearly goal that feels achievable, and build on your success with a new goal each season! Many schools would like to have a greenhouse, as who wouldn't, but starting with a cold frame, while raising funds and clearing land for a larger greenhouse project is a great way to get started.

Think outside the “stuff”
While some material objects are certainly needed for a garden, consider how you can make use of skills and expertise to achieve the same results. Is there a local handyman or woman who can build a compost barrel instead of buying one? A parent who has experience writing grants, or who has a lumber yard or garden shop? A student who is a great photographer or social media guru? Many people have multiple skills to share, or can develop skills they don’t even know they have!

Include everyone
At our recent Network meeting, one Norwich teacher told us that her strategy was to just say “yes” to everyone who offered to help. “Whatever they had to give, I found some way to incorporate it,” she said. “Then they were invested, and they got other people invested, and it just grew from there.” While we recognize that this exact strategy may not work for everyone, cultivating an inclusive attitude is definitely recommended!

Stay tuned for a list of resources generated at our last meeting - hardware materials, curriculum resources and planting materials.  

Have a great day in the garden everyone!

Smart Ideas for Building Your School Garden Team

Laying the Groundwork
 

Building your Garden Team:

Create a School Garden Logo and start a Blog (read below)

Interested in starting a school garden program? Share your ideas with school  administrators and get approval for further exploration. Other people to include in the discussion are fellow teachers, school facilities staff, curriculum coordinator, any Food Corp members that might be in your school district and of course, grounds and maintenance staff, your schools food service staff. You'll also need to build community support for a school garden. Consider contacting neighborhood associations, local civic organizations, garden clubs, the UConn Master Gardeners, or UConn Extension Services for input and support. Many community supports can be found at the New London County School Garden Network, which meets quarterly.
Most important, get students and their parents talking about the garden. Students should be involved in every step of the process. Kids and teens who have a say become more invested in school gardens, take better care of them, and take the lessons more to heart.

Digging In:

Hold brainstorming sessions to set goals for the garden. You may want to have a series of meetings — some just for students during school hours, and others for interested students, staff, parent-teacher group members, and other community members on an evening or weekend.

Ask participants to consider these questions:

• What are the main reasons for having the garden? These might include providing food for snacks or meals, serving as a teaching tool, or giving students an outlet for physical activity.
• How will the crops be used? Possible answers include "by the cafeteria staff," "in classrooms," "to raise money for the school," or "donated to a food pantry."
• How can teachers use the garden in the curriculum? How can a garden help students understand certain subjects better? Encourage participants to think of applications for every school subject.
• How will the garden be shared? Discuss which classes will participate in the garden and whether each should have its own assigned space, share space, or both. Discuss whether students will be allowed in the garden only during class time or also during recess and after school.

This is a good time to start thinking about management and care of the garden. The garden will need a coordinator (or coordinators) to oversee its use and keep an eye on maintenance needs. You'll also want to decide who will be responsible for the garden during school breaks. Some schools incorporate school gardens into summer learning and enrichment programs, while others have volunteers from the neighborhood or civic groups care for the garden.


Fun Ways to Get the Input from Students and School Staff:

Start a page on your website, start a blog. It's easy using Google's Blogger - for example, visit the Oswegatchie Elementary School Blog.  At Lillie B. Haynes Elementary School in East Lyme, CT, the "Ask the Green Thumb" box was hung in the school hallway, just inside the school garden. It was suggested by fourth grade teacher, Catherine Ellal. The original idea was to read (or have video) of answers for the school news broadcast. Kids have been asking so many questions that now School Garden Coordinator Jen McMahon types up answers and put them on courtyard door. "The current thought is to provide something for each grade to enjoy, K-4, even if it's sitting out there for snack on a sunny spring day", says Ms. Mahon.

Ask a Green Thumb Box

Ideas at Lillie B. Haynes for this year's school garden include: 

•  A hungry caterpillar garden featuring art with the kindergarten classes
•  A butterfly garden, with first grade students 
•  Life cycle of a plant through vegetables, with second grade students
  
• Rock garden - geology lessons, with third grade students 
• Composting and early colonists herbs and Native American practice of planting 3 sisters (beans, corn and squash), with fourth grade students

How are you getting your garden started?  Share your plans and ideas!

Starting Seeds Indoors and in the Greenhouse

A presentation by Arthur Lerner of FRESH New London, with input from the New London County School Garden Network members.

The first question to ask is, “Are seeds alive?” – the answer… of course.  So, storing seeds is important. A cool dry place with low humidity is best. A good rule-of-thumb is to think of the number 100. Seeds should be kept at less than 100 degrees and less than 100% humidity. At FRESH New London, seeds are often stored in a portable cooler.  It keeps the seeds at a constant temperature - other thing to monitor, keeping the conditions from fluctuating too much.

Germination:  A quick overview of the parts of the seed:  The seed is like an egg with the shell on the outside (which is like the bran of the seed); the white of the egg gives the yoke nutrients to grow, (which is like the endosperm of the seed); and then in the middle is the yoke (which is like the germ of the seed). All three parts have an important job to do!

Before planting it is important to learn how to read the seed package. This gives you the class and variety, short summary of the plants characteristics and most important, the sowing instructions. This gives you the yield to expect or how many seeds should germinate or the germination rates,- these can be fun to calculate with the students as part of a math lesson. The packet usually tells you how long it will take to germinate, how closely to plant them and how long it will take to fruit or flower.

 Soil preparation: Preparing the soil is important. To germinate the seed has to Arthur recommends using a “soil-less” potting mix or seed starting mix that has the appropriate fertilize added. If you just pour water on top of the soil after the seed has been planted it won’t absorb, it might run off, taking the seed with it. So it is better to hydrate the soil first, getting to a light consistency where you really can’t squeeze more than a drop out of it. Too wet and it will harm your seeds and form clods.

If you choose to make your own seedling mix, you can use the following recipe:

•     4 parts sphagnum moss
•     4 parts perlite OR an equal mixture of perlite and vermiculite
•     1/4 Tablespoon dolomite lime per gallon of mix to adjust for pH and add calcium and lime

Creating healthy soil

You can also use coir. Some schools are even making their own soil blocks, like they do at the FRESH New London farm.

Containers: Using containers in the classroom or green house are great. Some schools use premade containers or planting trays, others use cardboard egg cartons and poke a hole in the bottom for drainage.  The cardboard container can be planted right into the ground, all the way up to the top of the container. There are also planting pods made out of manure, but they are expensive. Some suggested that Kurieg cups can be used to sprout then the plant can be transplanted. Whatever the container, it is important that they have good drainage and that they are kept where temperature are around 70 degrees or higher, in order for the seed to germinate. If the temp falls below 60 degrees, germination will slow or the seed with rot. 

Planting depth:  Of course following the sowing instructions is important, and a good rule of thumb is plant the seed three times the width of the seed. There is a temptation to plant the seed deep, but this causes the seed to not sprout.

Light: Ambient light is enough light for germination. After the seed sprouts the light must be about 6” above the plant and able to raise as they grow. Florescent lighting needs to have full spectrum to ensure that vegetative growth continues to include flowing and fruiting. This time of year, light coming through the window is not enough. Newer schools may have UV light protection on the windows, making more challenging to start plants in the classroom.

Hardening Off: This involved toughening up the small plant to withstand outdoor light, temperatures and wind. A cold frame can be used or Susan Munger, from UConn's Master Gardener Program suggests bringing plants outdoors, an hour at a time, then gradually increasing the amount of time, over a week or so. "If plants are put out in the hot sun they can get sunburned", says Munger.

Try various kinds of containers for starting seeds.

Watering: For seeds to germinate, it has to imbibe water. The seed expands and the food supply becomes active to nurture the germ. This can be a fun thing for kids to learn – to handle the seeds, soak them overnight or put in a wet paper-towel.  If the seed and the soil are well hydrated it is foreseeable that you won’t have to water until the seedling pokes up through the soil.  Over and under-watering can be an issue, especially when multiple people are overseeing it. Arthur suggests watering using a schedule or log, so proper watering can be monitored.  Using a watering tray that allows for watering from the bottom, which is one way to water without disturbing the seed. Food Corp Member Chelsea Hahn, shared that she tells the kids, “The seeds would rather be a little thirsty than swimming”.

Suggestions on What to Plant: You can start now planting some salad greens (mesclun and brassica, etc.). Wait for planting zinnias, tomatoes, and peppers until late March. Arthur recommend the book, “Seed to Seed”, by Suzanne Ashworth. What is your school garden program planting right now?

Composting: There are always questions about composting, what to put in the compost. There is interest in learning more about composting, worm composting, using compost tea, etc. Stay tuned for our upcoming Blog post about "all things compost."