Onalaska School Gardens

Our school garden program consists of four projects; the Salad Bar Gardens, the Family Garden Club, the OMS Asparagus Garden and the OHS Life Skills Plant Sale. The goal of the district's garden program is to help kids understand where their food comes from, improve nutrition by encouraging the consumption of vegetables and to create hands-on experiences that support the regular curriculum.

The Salad Bar Gardens are located at each of the three elementary schools in our district.  These gardens serve all of the first and third graders and relate directly to their science studies.  Students grow lettuce seedlings indoors then plant the starts outside along with radish and spinach seeds.  The gardens produce enough salad greens and radishes for all students to try and are serve during a special Salad Bar Sampling Day.  Surplus vegetables are served on the salad bar for several days.

The Family Garden Club gives volunteer families of elementary school children a chance to experience what a backyard garden would be like.  The same beds used for the Salad Bar Gardens are replanted at the end of the school year with warm season vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, beans, etc.  Adults along with their children come three times per week to care for the low-maintenance gardens.  They are welcome to take home whatever produce is ready on the day they help out.

The OMS Asparagus Garden is a large scale asparagus bed that was installed by eighth graders as a class project in 2013.  The gardens are maintained in subsequent years by a sixth grade after-school garden club.  The asparagus will be served in the cafeteria in 2015.

The OHS Life Skills Plant Sale is held in the spring and allows high school staff the chance to purchase student grown vegetable and herb plants that have been raised in the greenhouse.  This sale helps teach practical tasks to students with special needs, such as plant care and cash register skills.