St. Justin School is very fortunate to have a community garden on campus. Constructed by a Girl Scout troop and their families, the garden not only serves as a “living classroom” for our science program, it also supplies food for our Community Ministry program to give to the less fortunate.
The garden began in the spring of 2014 when the seventh grade science class, along with their first grade buddies, planted the first crop. Students created a plan for spacing and seed depth to produce a garden full of summer vegetables and flowers. Both grades returned to the garden in late spring to check the progress of their plants. They also participated in a scavenger hunt to learn about the nutritional value of the plants and the importance of pollinators.
Students graciously volunteered to water the garden throughout the summer, and in the fall of 2014 the first crop was ready to be harvested. Onions were donated to Community Ministry, and pumpkins were proudly displayed in the second grade classroom. The sixth graders then tested the soil’s pH as well as its nitrogen and phosphorous levels to amend it accordingly. The following week their buddy class joined them in planting the winter crop.
Through this community garden project, students learn about concepts such as photosynthesis, ecology, and the parts of a plant. It also provides a real-life setting where students can use the science process skills of observing, measuring, sorting/classifying, inferring, predicting, experimenting, and communicating. Most importantly, local families in need benefit since the bounty of the garden is donated to Community Ministry. With the community garden, everyone’s a winner!