Cheers for now, 'Marti Linsdey--The Garden Lady
The phrase, “If you build it, they will come,” is perfectly
exemplified by the transformation of the La Petite Academy, Palmdale under the
directorship of Mrs. Jeana Courson.
Jeana contacted me in the Spring of 2014 asking me if I would be
interested in working with her students and staff to revive a tired, old garden
at her location.
I had recently moved to a farm in the area and was about to
go through the Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener program in Los Angeles
County. All states have a Cooperative
Extension through the Land Grant Universities that were signed into law by
Abraham Lincoln. The unique partnership
between the US Department of Agriculture, The State Land Grant University and
the Local County brings research based information to the community through
their programs, which include 4-H and Master Gardeners. Any school can contact their County
Cooperative Extension office and request a Master Gardener to teach students
and staff!
To see more about the Master Gardener Program in Los Angeles
County: http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/
When I went to Jeana’s school to check on the garden area,
it consisted of four child-sized raised beds that were about half full of
compacted soil with no vegetation. More
discouraging was that the students could not identify common fruits and
vegetables in their natural state, while believing that food came from
McDonalds. When I told the students that
I lived on a farm, to them it was some vague concept involving Old MacDonald
and his franchise of burgers and fries!
We began by aerating and amending the soil in the raised
beds. The students really enjoyed
working in the dirt! Once the soil was
prepped, then we planted. Those four
initial beds with strawberries (which three years later are still producing!)
beans, peas, leafy greens, carrots and radishes were the perfect start!
Next we began looking for low cost ways to expand the
gardening areas at the school. Over time
we added pots of flowers and lettuces, bins of potatoes, elevated raised beds
on the preschool yard. That was just a
start! We turned a shelf that was headed
to the dumpster into a raised container garden for garlic, broccoli, chard and
other Fall varieties!
We converted an underutilized area that in years past had
been a sand box into a very large planting area that gave us the ability to
grow Indian corn! Next we turned several
spots where the grass refused to grow into planter beds along the wall and
fences.
We have repurposed worn out sensory tables into the perfect
raised beds for our smaller students!
Areas that previously been bark are now places that we grow sunflowers,
wildflowers along with things like vining crops that need more space to grow
such as watermelon, pumpkin and squash!
Over the past few years, we have converted a typical
preschool yard with only a bit of grass into a lush oasis of food and
flowers! We have added grape vines,
blueberry bushes along with an apple tree.
Students are encouraged to eat from their garden! Now students enjoy pulling a radish, washing
and eating it right there in the garden!
Sugar snap peas disappear into their mouths almost as fast as they
grow! The students are learning patience
as a carrot grows for 60 days! Patience
is also learned as green tomatoes are not ready to pick, but waiting several
weeks until the fruit is red, then the tomato is ready to be picked and
eaten! I have even overheard an argument
between two three year olds over who “gets to” eat the broccoli flowers from a
plant that has gone to seed!
In a few short years, the students at La Petite Academy in
Palmdale have gone from having no clue where their food comes from, to growing
their own food and eating it straight from the garden.
It has been an honor and a pleasure to be on this journey
with Jeana, her staff and the students at La Petite Academy in Palmdale. The dream of a play yard that is more
importantly a learning garden has come to fruition through the vision of Mrs.
Jeana Courson. If you need additional
information, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Marti
Lindsey—The Garden Lady
