So many seeds! HMES students have the opportunity to start seedlings during the winter months, nurture them until they are ready to be placed outdoors, and then prepare their own growing space in the HMES Learning Production Garden.
The weather forecast tells us that more snow is on the way. But with the use of some simple LED shop lights and small greenhouse starter kits, Hollin Meadows Elementary School students have already begun planning and planting for an excellent spring and summer harvest! Inside the Library, hundreds of bright green seedlings are pushing their way out of their soil pods in the cozy, light-filled home we have created for them! Before we know it (as early as March!) they will be ready to be planted in the HMES Learning Production Garden.
What is the Learning Production Garden?
The Learning Production Garden (LPG) at HMES is what some may remember as the “old garden.” The 7,000 square foot space is now an enclosed courtyard with plenty of sunshine and a new 3,400 gallon rain water catchment system, which will be used to irrigate the students’ crops. With plans for more than 25 raised bed gardens and a pumpkin patch, the main objective of this space is to provide HMES students with hands-on experience to coincide with what they are learning in the classroom. While science, math and social studies lessons are enhanced by this hands-on work - students will also be taste-testing new foods and learning about the connection between real, clean food and our minds and bodies.
As far as PRODUCTION goes; students will see the bounty of their labor on the new salad bar in the cafeteria this spring. And this summer, when school is out, the community will have the opportunity to purchase produce that is as-local-as-it-gets from our first ever Hollin Meadows Farm Stand!
Many seeds are so small that it is impossible to pick up just two or three at a time with your fingers. Students used the tip of a pencil to make a hole in the soil, which moistens the tip enough that it will pick up just the few seeds needed for germination. Students will be amazed when they see that a whole head of cabbage will come from seeds that were so small that they planted them with the tip of a pencil!
