From a Seed of an Idea Grows a Summer Garden

Arionne Hudson, age 10, sits on a bench reading The Secret Garden to two younger friends. Sisters July and Esmeralda Vargas, ages 8 and 9, conduct a tour of the garden, proudly pointing out its first tiny green tomatoes. Nearby, a handful of other children dig up rocks.

This is Summer in the Garden at John Barry Elementary School, an idea planted by teacher Marcia Johnson, who oversees the project on a volunteer basis. So far the program--and the garden--are thriving.

Every weekday during the summer, from 8:15 a.m. until noon, about 10 students ranging from preschool to fifth grade show up at this urban school in a high-poverty area to tend the garden. They weed and water early, before it gets too hot. Then they spend the rest of the morning learning garden-themed lessons. (But don’t tell the kids they’re learning. They think they’re just there to have fun.)

The children learn science by researching the plants they are growing. They sharpen math skills as they measure and graph the growth of their tomato plants. They perform garden-related Reader’s Theater skits. And they are learning about food and nutrition, too.

School Cafeteria Manager Toni Baggetta, who also volunteers in the garden, has promised the kids she’ll help them make zucchini pancakes when the squash are ready. And the young gardeners plan to make pizza with their own fresh tomatoes.

“The kids are leading the show,” Johnson says. Much of what they learn depends on what they are interested in and curious about.

Johnson helped the kids plant squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, string beans, peppers and eggplant outside the school this spring after the city maintenance department removed several hedges to make room for the vegetable garden. She bought most of the plants on sale at Stew Leonard’s for $12. The rest were donated by fellow teachers and John Barry Principal Karen Dahn.

Johnson admits she didn’t know much about gardening when she started the project. Neither did her students. But they’re learning together. And they are getting help and advice from all quarters.

Principal Dahn built the wooden frames for the garden beds and a climbing trellis for the green beans using her own wood. Marvin Carley, a regular substitute teacher at the school, is a master gardener and has been acting as a consultant. Teachers, parents, custodians and other staff have been happy to offer advice as well. And some high school students volunteer in the garden to get in their community service hours.

Johnson hopes to make the garden a year-round learning experience. She plans to hold a farmer’s market at school in the fall and an after-school garden club. She has registered the project on donorschoose.org with the aim of getting donations for a pop-up greenhouse that will allow the children to raise plants all year.

The garden is a wonderful place to learn, Johnson says, but it is more than that. It is a sanctuary for these kids. As one child told her, “It’s nice here. There’s no yelling and screaming.”

The garden is a place where the children must learn to work together and get along with each other. In short, it is a microcosm of life, Johnson points out. “What happens in life happens in the garden.”