Paul Banks Elementary Farm to School Greenhouse & Garden Project

Alaska Farm to School 2012 Mini-Grant Recipient

Project Description:

The Paul Banks Elementary Greenhouse was built in the spring of 2011 and students planted various vegetables to be grown in the greenhouse over the Summer including mesclun mix, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, herbs, peas, etc., with some harvested before Summer such as mesclun mix for salad served in the classrooms in May on "Salad Days." The bounty of the greenhouse was harvested with help from students in the fall and brought into classrooms to sample and provide for a "teachable moment."

The Greenhouse was quite successful in the first year of operation and the PTA along with the school administrator, school food service director, and teachers would like to see the greenhouse continue to flourish. In the 2012 grant projec more crops were planted and the functionality of the greenhouse was improved by adding shelving and various gardenings supplies. The produce from the greenhouse and raised beds was harvested by students and distributed to the classrooms as part of the PTA Healthy Snakcs Program.

Overall, this project provides studentss an opportunity to experience first-hand gardening, harvesting and then eating what they have grown and harvested in the classroom to complete the cycle.