South O Garden Newsletter

We have started our Feast Celebration to honor the learning and garden nurturing students have done this school year. The format of the Feast class is a bit different than the normal garden lesson and cooking classes. We have 30 minutes to do a fun activity and the students can create a take home snack. Families are encouraged to attend so your student can show off their garden and have you meet their garden teachers. Contact your student’s teacher for more information.

The most recent lesson was about Plant Compatibility which included what pollination means and what parts of the plant are needed for it. We also talked about plant friends and what companion planting is. The students planted milkweed seed bombs, strawberry plants and helped to nurture our garden with weeding and watering the seeds scattered in the orchard.

What Have the Students Been Cooking? See full garden recipe packet below! We hope you recreate these tasty dishes at home!

How Do Garden Classes Work?

Throughout the school year classes are held on Tuesdays. With about 500 students in the school we are able to see each student twice every two months. There are two parts to the garden classes. Chef Eliza is the master of all things in the kitchen. Using an age appropriate knife she teaches the students essential knife skills that they will have for life. She educates them on where their food is coming from in relation to our garden and how to use fresh ingredients to prepare a meal for themselves. Each student will cook their own meal in her class and most gobble it up! “One polite bite” works it’s wonders and a lot of students try things for the first time.

The other part of the garden classes are where the students turn into gardeners. They start the class off with a lesson on a fascinating topic of garden life and then get into the garden. They will help nurture the garden with planting, watering and weeding (aka finding rollie pollies). They will taste what is ready for harvest and learn what “hot off the vine” really means.

On garden days half the class will be Chefs and the other will be gardeners. The next time they have class they will switch so everyone gets to experience both classes. This will continue each Tuesday throughout the year. It takes about 8 weeks to see every student!

The Mission of the garden classes is to cultivate the joy of learning through nature and to provide opportunities for all learning styles to master practical life skills through hands-on experience in the garden. The South O Garden is committed to a future where our children are empowered with regenerative gardening and nutrition education in order to create a more sustainable and eco conscious community.

Follow us @southogarden on Instagram to see our Garden Student of the Week, photos of the students, and to stay in the know of our events.

We are starting a new garden committee for the 2023/2024 school year. You don’t have to know anything about gardening! We are looking for people from our community that value this program for the students of South O. We will hold meetings to see what wonderful ideas we have to make this program stronger and how we can come together to make it happen. Our committee will welcome everybody, be full of support for each other and will plant the seeds together and watch them grow. If you would like to stay updated on the details of this committee for the next school year please email gromsforgardens@gmail.com with the subject Garden Committee and we will keep you in the know.

Parent volunteers are always welcome to join the Tuesday classes. Please contact your student’s teacher for more information.

Garden Volunteer Days Throughout the Summer (Bring the Kids!) We need help nurturing the garden during it’s most bountiful season. All family and friends are welcome. Bring a hat and water. We have gloves and tools but you are welcome to bring your own. Bringing kids is encouraged! They learn along with us and when they want a break they have a blast playing together.

You can come for as long as you would like anytime in that time period. Find the sign up link here or in our bio on Instagram @southogarden

The Sage Garden Project has given us an award to partially fund the garden program! Other funding will come from a combination of school funds and fundraiser money. BUT the funding won’t last forever. The cost of the program as it is right now is about $25,000. This covers the cost of two teachers and supplies.

We appreciate any donation! Click here to donate and keep the garden program growing!

Click here for the recipe packet of all the goodies created throughout the year!