West Point Elementary School Garden Project

West Point Elementary School Garden is beginning it's third season of in-ground, organic gardening. We have spent the first two years building, cultivating and amending our very poor soil. Despite this, we have been able to grow many vegetables and fruits including tomatoes, squash, peas, corn, cucumbers, strawberries, potatoes, onions and garlic. Most of the harvest is eaten right there in the garden, but some is added to our salad bar in the school cafeteria. During the peak harvesting months (late summer and fall for us) students prepare simple, healthy meals each week from the fresh garden produce. Students have learned to compost food waste and other compostable materials from our school's cafeteria and are involved in tending an open compost pile in the garden.  Our garden also houses eight hens that provide eggs and fertilize our soil (and make the kids very happy!). In the next year or so, we hope to build a greenhouse where we can start many of our own seedlings for transplanting into the garden. In our very rural and mostly low-income area, we feel that when students and their families learn to produce, harvest and prepare their own food, they become empowered. This is our goal.