Gardens: A place to start
As a Middle School Agriculture Teacher for the past six years, I have had a little over a thousand or so students take my class as part of their Career Technology Education (CTE) credit requirement. Every year, I am left astounded at how much the students enjoy hands-on activities such as planting simple seeds and watching them grow and produce fruit in only a matter of weeks. Of course, there are those students who already do such things at home or on their farm with their families, but for the others who haven’t; pure joy!
The most common question asked by my students is: “How big does a garden have to be?” My answer simply is, “as big as a backyard or as big as two flower pots growing cherry tomatoes”. A garden is not measured in size, but in production. I have had students produce handfuls of cherry tomatoes from two, two-gallon flower pots. I have seen students glowing with joy as they came running to my class in the morning to inform me that they ate their first Korean melon over the weekend with their family. Granted, not every gardening story is always a success, but through failure, they learn what not to do next time.
One of the first projects I teach my students is making a very small, self-watering container. These containers are made from recycled plastic bottles. In these bottles, they start their very first mongo bean plant. The goal of the project is to have the plant produce a single bean pod. This usually takes about four to five weeks. Keep in mind, the purpose behind this project is not to have enough mongo beans for a meal, but to show students the process of plant care. Any plant that is properly cared for will eventually produce. Their amazement when the plants produced their first flowers is the most memorable for me.
From there, we begin our school garden where they grow okra, string beans, hot peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, oregano, basil, sunflowers, and zinnias. They start their plants from seed and maintain their garden through weeding, watering, and fertilizing the plants. Fertilizers are made in class using used coffee grounds, egg shells, and banana peels that the students collect from home. Pesticides are made from vinegar, neme leaves, dish soap, and garlic. It is as close to organic as we can get without the actual "organic" certification of the USDA. Of course, we are not always successful at preventing insect infestation. But for the most part, it works.
Aside from the materials and supplies purchased by our school district for my class, we also have the support of agencies such as our local CREES and the CNMI Department of Agriculture, who donate additional supplies such as seeds, soil, and other planting amendments. These agencies have also provided support in terms of presentations and hands-on demonstrations in the garden with the students as well. My class, as well as my students experience with gardening, would not have been as fulfilling without their support. For that, we are truly grateful.
Students have had the opportunity to harvest the fruits of their labor. We had lessons in pickling eggplants and radish, discussed recipes for tomatoes, okra, hot peppers and so much more. Our sixteen planter boxes are all of 2 feet wide by 8 feet long and have produced so much over the years that I believe even the local farmers market would be proud!
For those seeking advice, I am no means an expert. However, I am willing to share my experiences with anyone. If each family that had a backyard grew the vegetables they enjoyed, we would definitely be better off as a community working towards self-sustainability. It is a small step in the right direction. I hope that in the days to come, my students may also be able to contribute articles to help build awareness and possibly inspire others to start a little garden of their own. Even if it means starting off with something as simple as “two flower pots growing cherry tomatoes”.
(This is an Article I wrote and shared with our local paper (Marianas Variety) which can be found on their website as well.)