Photos and story by Theresa-Marie Wilson ~
Students at Ocean View Elementary School have a bounty of herbs and produce added to their curriculum.
[pullquote align=”full” cite=”Chuck Davison, president and CEO of Visit San Luis Obispo County” link=”” color=”#00CC00″ class=”” size=””]We are always looking for ways to promote agriculture and the farm to table movement.[/pullquote]The school was the recipient of a farm to school garden filled with a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs including lettuces, broccoli, artichoke, mint, rosemary, basil and more.
Sunset SAVOR the Central Coast, owned by Visit San Luis Obispo County in partnership with Fast Forward and Sunset Magazine, presented the plants and planters to the school where it will provide an outdoor classroom for students in Nickol Neff’s fifth-sixth grade class.
“We love it,” Neff said. “It is a great way for them to learn because it is a cross-curriculum thing where they learn about math and science, nutrition or even in their writing. They are very vested in their garden, and we are able to use it in all aspects of their learning.”
The students get to eat the food they grow and what isn’t eaten is typically composted. This year enterprising students bagged up some of the leftovers from the spring garden and sold it to faculty for class cash.
“Everything is going back, either in a bag home with somebody or back into the earth,” Neff said. “There is not a lot of waste. They get so excited because they know that the stuff that they grow right now, they are going to get to eat it. It is all student-driven. They research it and figure it out.”
The garden is gifted each year to a local school, with the purpose of educating students on growing practices and providing them with a hands-on opportunity to learn about agriculture and the source of their foods.
“We are always looking for ways to promote agriculture and the farm to table movement,” said Chuck Davison, president and CEO of Visit San Luis Obispo County. “We really hope that it helps educate the students on what it means to grow, cultivate and eat their own garden product. Along with the nutritional information comes the educational component on what it means to eat healthy.”
Students at the school have jobs that they are responsible for in or around the classroom. The Garden Club is charged with daily maintenance of the plants that fill raised beds and big pots.
“I have always loved to do gardening,” said fifth grader Bella Schwinne. “It is actually really fun being in the Garden Club. We are out here at least 15 minutes a day and we water the plants and make sure that they get the sun or the shade that they need.”
Schwinne said her favorite vegetable is a carrot. Garden Club partner sixth grader Kevin Sweeney agrees with the carrot choice but added broccoli to his list.
“I really enjoy being in the Garden Club,” he said. “I used to garden all the time at my house, and this is a chance to go gardening again.”
The donation also included a Monarch Butterfly garden consisting of narrow-leaved milkweed, which is native to California and a favorite food of the Western Monarch larva.
Both gardens were gifted in partnership with the City of Arroyo Grande and the Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach Chamber of Commerce. The vegetation was prepared, delivered and planted by Cal Poly agriculture and plant science student Rachel Maiorino along with parent volunteer and landscape contractor Josh Carmichel.
Other garden contributors included Arroyo in Bloom, who assisted in research and planning for the Monarch Butterfly gardens, and One Cool Earth, a local non-profit based in San Luis Obispo, who assisted with coordinating the school recipient. Farm Supply, San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden and Bruno’s Greenhouse donated the garden beds and supplies.
“The gardens excite students’ curiosity and really make a difference in regards to overall health and wellness, campus pride, and nature connection,” said Victoria Carranza, Environmental Educator & Development with One Cool Earth. “It is a pleasure to work with SAVOR, Visit San Luis Obispo County, other community partners, and local schools so we can collectively gift resources to schools who are in need and willing to expand or start garden programs.”
