Allardt Elementary School students spent Thursday hosting a spring plant sale to sustain their greenhouse and agricultural education programs.
Physical Education and Greenhouse Teacher Matt Harris oversees the CTE program where students learn to cultivate various crops from seed to harvest. Harris guides the students through hands-on agricultural practices, including soil amendment and greenhouse maintenance, to prepare the seasonal plants for the community.
“I think that just getting the students for me, getting them outside and getting their hands dirty and working in a garden and working on plants inside the greenhouse, I think that it gives them a sense of pride and ownership too,” Harris said.
Harris said the current cool-season sale features Savoy cabbage, Red Mammoth cabbage, Lacinato kale, spinach, and Swiss chard. The students kept the plants inside during recent cold weather to prevent injury before they were ready for outdoor gardens.
“So I just think these skills are important to teach our kids, and it’s something that they can use and pass on to their kids, and it’s a life skill, so I think that’s what’s important about it,” Harris said.
Harris said the proceeds from the plant sales are used to replace depleted supplies like potting mixes, soils, pots, trays, and seed stock. This financial support ensures the school can purchase the necessary materials to continue the hands-on classes.
“So it’s just we use that to just replenish and start the projects again next year, and that way we have, we can purchase the things that we need to ensure that we can keep the class going and keep the experience to what it needs to be,” Harris said.
Harris said the program is currently developing on-campus gardens using no-till methods and raised beds to overcome poor soil quality. The ultimate goal is to allow students to grow crops from seed to table and potentially partner with culinary programs so students can consume the food they grow at school.
“I swear I don’t think there’s finer plants anywhere in the county, they’ve just done an exceptional job,” Harris said.
Harris said the school plans to host another sale featuring warm-season crops like peppers, tomatoes, and flowers during the second week of May.