2016 May Interactions

Karmi Sharmi

School Gardening with Seed Libraries

Jacob-Kearey Moreland, “The People’s Gardener” believes that fresh, free food that is grown in your own backyard is a basic human right and a primary source of a healthy life.  To this end he has dedicated himself to making this a reality for students by working towards his ultimate goal of a garden in every school.  Jacob describes himself as a community garden cultivator and a “seed librarian”.  He co-founded the Toronto Seed Library in 2012, the Orillia Seed Library in 2013, the not for profit Seed Library Commons in 2014, and has most recently joined the steering committee for the “International Seed Library Association” (name to be announced).

According to Jacob, seed libraries are the way to go for any school that is interested in starting a garden.  Not only do they provide seeds to schools in need, but they offer instructions on how to grow and save them successfully.  They can also provide different examples of different school gardens and help create a garden plot plan for the school.  Before this happens however, Jacob believes it all starts with what he describes as the “seeds of inspiration”.  Through school visits and presentations Jacob and his colleagues can help to inspire teachers, parents and students to be more interested in learning about the importance of school gardens.  Teaching people about horticulture and what it means to grow your own food is a vital first step in shaping any community garden initiative.

Speaking of inspiration, Jacob’s passion for school gardening really came through when asked what he sees as the real benefits of having a garden at school.  “I cannot think of a more healthy, wholesome, and natural activity as gardening. School gardens normalize healthy natural relationships, better the natural environment, increase access to nourishing food for undernourished children, result in higher test scores, food skills and literacy, not to mention the children will live longer and benefit by experiencing less diet related illness and disease”, stated Jacob.  He believes that children are much more likely to try new foods if they’ve had a hand in growing or preparing it. If this isn’t enough to convince someone to get involved then consider also that school gardens, if done right, and with community support, often cost very little or nothing at all.  According to Jacob some school gardens employ students part-time, and others engage in research and the advancement of knowledge.  “Imagine students gardening to preserve rare local, native, edible, medicinal, or cultural plants, or selecting over many years, their own new variety of their favourite food” stated Jacob.  His words would make any educator hungry to get a garden started at their school.

It’s not just a mission statement.  Jacob and his dedicated colleagues have been making this a reality for students throughout the Greater Toronto Area and Jacob’s hometown of Orillia.  For the past three years they have been working with various members of the Toronto District School Board and the Simcoe County District School board.  Their work has resulted in garden projects at three elementary schools in Orillia.

These include Harriet Todd, Lion’s Oval and Regent Park.  They are currently working on building a greenhouse at Regent Park, for which they have already gathered the funds and materials necessary to build.  In 2014, Jacob helped to connect schools with a downtown Orillia Street Art festival “Streets Alive” with a dozen edible planter boxes painted by kids.  These boxes were later returned to schoolyards and public places across the city.  Across the GTA they have supported school gardening by providing seeds and support to several school gardening programs including Green Thumbs Growing Kids and Pact Learn to Grow.  In addition to supporting school boards in both Toronto and Orillia, Jacob has worked with the University school garden community at the University of Toronto and Lakehead University in Orillia, with the hopes of developing a youth/student garden mentoring program for the Orillia area.

A school garden does not come without its challenges.  Finding a suitable location on campus and determining who will tend to the garden in the summer are the biggest obstacles to overcome.  Jacob is a firm believer that there always exists space, no matter how small or insignificant at first glance, that would make for a suitable location for growing something.  As for the summer months, some gardens get around this by planting for the season and choosing plants that are in and out while the students are in school.  Jacob also recommends finding support and buy-in from neighbours and community groups.  This works best if it comes from the people who live near the garden.  In addition, having a strong commitment from at least one or two members of the school community, such as teachers, parents or students, goes a long way to keeping the garden going throughout the summer months. Jacob recommends that any school garden project be treated as a community building opportunity. He believes that it’s important that the school garden is valued by the school as a whole, and the surrounding community.  “It can’t just be the purview of a single individual. If that individual leaves, the garden could suffer or disappear” stated Jacob.  Regardless of the challenges, Jacob believes there are always solutions and ways of making a garden in every school a reality.

As a final testament to Jacob’s passion for gardening he believes the important thing is “ensuring that present and future generations don’t grow hungry and at war, but grow peas together instead”.  For more information on Jacob Kearey-Moreland and seed libraries check out the following links:

http://www.torontoseedlibrary.org
http://www.orilliapubliclibrary.ca/en/aboutus/Seed-Library.asp
https://nowtoronto.com/news/environment/environmental-heroes/

Nazreen Subhan

Easy, Inexpensive Way to Grow Plants

Want to start a garden with your students but you find that the plants are too expensive? Try your grocery store. Sounds impossible at first, but you will be surprised at how many plants you can grow from a simple visit to the grocery store.

To understand how this works, let’s take a look at the plants themselves. What is a vegetable? A vegetable is any edible part of a plant that does not contain the seed. Vegetables are usually the roots, stems, or leaves of plants. Many vegetables are easy to propagate from cuttings. This allows new roots and stems to grow, producing a new plant. Great plants to try in the classroom are:

Cabbage                       Bok Choy
Beet                               Carrot
Lettuce                         Ginger
Potato                           Basil
Onion                           Pineapple
Celery                           Avocado
Radish

Growing plants from cuttings can allow many school gardens to be planted for a fraction of the cost of purchasing plants from a garden centre.

Cuttings are typically made from leaves and stems, but vegetables cuttings can also be made from the root. Not only is it cheap and easy, but it is a great classroom project as well.

Green Onion

The simplest and easiest vegetable to grow from roots is green onion.

• Cut the top of the green onions off, saving about 1″ of the green onion bottom.
• Place the root base into a cup of water.
• Place in a sunny location, such as a window sill.
• Change the water daily.
• In 5 days you will have a new green onion growing.
• Transplant in soil after the new plants have a substantial root base and are approximately 6 inches tall.

Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes cut and placed in water will sprout roots and new stem growth will appear.

• Cut the sweet potato in half and place in a container of water. Do not fully submerge.
• This plant does not need direct sunlight.
• Top up the water in your container to make sure that the water level is kept consistent.
• The new stem will start to vine.

Another method whereby a tuber or whole sweet potato with skewers through it is suspended in a cup of water can also be used. Like many root vegetables you can also place it in soil. Half-bury the sweet potato in soil and it will also produce roots and a new stem.

Potato

Potatoes usually sprout when left in a dark place, even in the bag that they come in. They can also be placed into water and the potato will sprout roots and new stems.

• Find a potato with an eye or the beginning of a sprout.
• Fill a container with water and make sure that the potato will fit into it.
• Ensure that the sprouts stay above the water.
• Set the container in direct sunlight.
• Replenish the water to keep the water level consistent.
• Change the water if it becomes brown or cloudy.
• Roots will form in 2 weeks and the sprouts will form stems.

Once they have stems they can be placed into soil. Whether they are started in water or placed in soil, new growth will appear.

Cabbage

Cabbage does not have a root that can be replanted or produce sprouts, but if you cut off the base of a cabbage and place it into water it will produce roots.

• Cut the base or stump of the cabbage off.
• Place in a shallow bowl or container of water, enough to cover the base but not the top of your cutting.
• Place in a direct sunlight.
• Spray with water to ensure that the top does not dry out.
• Check water daily to maintain the water level.
• In a few days new roots will form and new leaves will appear.
• In 2 weeks you should have a substantial root base.
• Place the base of the plant into soil, leaving the rest above soil level.

Lettuce

Lettuce can also be grown the same way as cabbage.

• Cut off the stump where the lettuce leaves are attached.
• Place the stump in a container with approximately a half inch of water.
• Make sure that only the base of the stump is submerged in water.
• Check the water daily to ensure consistent water levels.
• Once roots are formed it can be transplanted into soil.

Carrot

When purchasing carrots, look for those with some of the leaves still on them.

• Cut off the top 2 inches of carrot along with the leaves.
• Place in a shallow container with water.
• Add enough water so that half of the carrot is submerged in water. Do not submerge the tops of the carrot.
• Place in direct sunlight.
• Add water daily to maintain the water level.
• New roots will grow from the carrot.

Once roots have formed and the sprouts have become leaves, the carrots can be placed into soil to continue growing.

There are many great resources to help you grow great plants, so visit some of the websites below for additional information.

Websites:

Growing garlic sprouts
http://simpledailyrecipes.com/8594/how-to-grow-your-own-garlic-chives/

Basil plants from cuttings
http://cepsinthecity.blogspot.ca/2011/06/basil-plants-from-cuttings.html

Growing celery from the stalk
http://foodstorageandsurvival.com/growing-celery-from-the-stal/

Grow onions from discarded onion bottoms
http://www.instructables.com/id/Grow-Onions-from-Discarded-Onion-Bottoms/

Regrowing Bok Choy
http://www.17apart.com/2012/02/how-to-regrowing-bok-choy.html

Growing Ginger at Home
http://chiotsrun.com/2010/07/26/growing-ginger-at-home/

How to Grow a Pineapple
http://www.rickswoodshopcreations.com/pineapple/pineapple.htm

Grow an Avocado Tree
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-grow-an-avocado-tree-53348

Cross-Curricular OTF Summer Institute

This summer, OSEE is partnering with STAO and other subject institutes to offer a cross-curricular inquiry-based OTF Summer Institute for elementary school teachers. This summer workshop will bring together subject association specialists and K to Gr. 8 classroom teachers supporting each other in innovative strategies and creative new ideas to integrate Science & Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics in the classroom, with considerations of an environmental and/or indigenous perspective. Pick up some S.T.E.A.M. in your classroom – Come and share hands-on and authentic inquiry-based learning activities.
Visit OTF Summer Institutes 2016 and scroll to the bottom to learn more as details are finalised.

Upcoming Events

June 5 – World Environment Day #WED2016
http://www.unep.org/wed/

June 6 to 12 – Canadian Environment Week
https://www.ec.gc.ca/sce-cew/

June 6 – Rivers to Oceans Week
http://cwf-fcf.org/en/do-something/events/rivers-to-oceans-week/

June 8 – World Oceans Day
http://www.worldoceansday.org/

Workshops

May 26, 2016
Naturescaping in Your Green Yard, Mississauga

June 1, 2016
Grey to Green Conference, Toronto

June 4, 2016
Rainscaping in Your Green Yard, Mississauga

June 7, 2016
Naturescaping in Your Green Yard, Mississauga

 

Teacher Resources

Step Outside Nature Guide brought to you by LSF
Step Outside guides are a compilation of seasonal happenings that can be used to bring nature into your classroom. The guides detail specific flora, fauna and climate events, which are often taking place just outside your school.