A few years ago the children at our school grew, harvested and, ultimately, ate a giant, two-pound carrot.
Our gardening program at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod has come a
long way since then. We now have a unheated hoop house and a program
where middle school gardeners lead first through fifth graders as they
learn to build soil, plant, transplant, tend, water and harvest food
year round. Our harvests are transformed by our school chef into amazing
meals served at lunch. The summer tending of the garden is a community
responsibility. We have weekly Family Gardening sessions organized by
grade level where families share a pot luck meal and then work together
in the garden in the cool of the evening.
The 24 by 48 feet hoop house is the heart of our gardening program.
It is an indoor gardening classroom that aligns the school year with
garden life by spreading the harvest over four seasons. Since it is
unheated, we choose winter crops such as carrots, spinach and kale that
grow when the nights are very cold and the days are slightly warm. A
sunny day in February can bring temperatures in the 20s outside and in
the sixties in the hoop house. The night lows in the hoop house can go
into the teens or 20s, Yet, since the soil is warmed by the sun during
the day, the soil in the beds never freezes.
See Full article: Growing Children
Related article: A Gardener in Progress
