STUDENTS ‘DIG’ GARDENING: Wilkinson second-graders enjoying their work in the school garden are, from left, Gavin Hazeltine, Kenzie Tran, Caleb McClung and Diego Scurti.
SARASOTA – Spring is in the air, and gardeners across America are looking forward to working in their gardens. In Florida, of course, students can garden all year — and they do, at school gardens throughout Sarasota County.
The Education Channel, the school district’s cable television station (Comcast 20, Verizon FiOS 33), is currently airing a program about the garden at Wilkinson Elementary in Sarasota. Earlier this school year, students harvested carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, beans and onions from the garden they planted in August, thanks to a grant from Whole Foods and help from Boy Scout Troop 14. Click here to view The Education Channel story.
Master Gardener volunteers with the University of Florida Extension-Sarasota County were on hand to help the students with the harvest. The school’s cafeteria manager prepared soup using the fresh ingredients, and the students enjoyed it for lunch. Click here to read more about the garden-to-soup project in a previous news release.
Second-grade teacher Linda Ayad said, “Our students are learning environmentally friendly ways to garden. Using micro-irrigation saves water by only watering the area in each box, and no longer wasting water on the mulch. We collect water in a rain barrel, donated by the UF Extension-Sarasota County, and use it to water our plants. Students also are learning how to compost; we’ll put this material back into our garden beds in the fall.”
Click here to learn about School Gardens 101, a FREE University of Florida Extension-Sarasota County three-day workshop for teachers and school volunteers set for June 24-26, 2013.
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