The Greenhouse class at Patton Middle School planted and grew lettuce, spinach, raab, mustard greens, cucumbers and radishes at the start of the fourth quarter. Later the students harvested the ingredients and made a salad.
“This is a part of a larger Farm to Table unit, which emphasizes how far food travels and how much it is processed before it reaches our plates,” said teacher Michele Brantner. The project has just won a $2,000 Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant for the Farm to Table unit. The funds will be used to purchase equipment and supplies for the greenhouse.
In addition to the salad, students have designed their own gardens and are growing plants to take home, and have been growing plants from seeds provided by some of the Patton teachers. The first round of plants included zinnias, mustard greens, cucumbers, marigolds, cabbage, broccoli, snap peas and more. The students sowed, transplanted, and delivered these plants to Patton teachers.
Next up? Tomatoes!