Houston High and the Best Garden Ever!

We had an awesome year in the garden this summer!  Even though we had some setbacks we out produced all our other years - partly due to the added space with the new raised beds that were built in the spring.  We also had some great plants donated that turned out some fabulous produce!

Harvest time is always a rushed affair in the school garden due to the time constraints of trying to do everything in about two class periods.  Our culinary arts class is two class times per day and only on certain days do both of the classes meet so we have to time it just right and then try to have each class harvest half of the produce so it is fair for both!  We also have some life skills classes and science classes that help out when it fits their classes as well.  Lots of kids learning in the garden!

Above photo shows our awesome culinary arts instructor Mr. Bredberg showing the kids how to dig the potatoes in the raised beds.  Most of the kids in the garden when the pictures were taken were new to the program this year.

Talking about the rhubarb that we are excited to have and should be able to harvest some of next season!  We have two plants right now and hope to add at least two more next year to make a "pie-able" patch!

The tomatoes in the above photo didn't impress anyone this year in the tires - too hot is our thinking and limited water hindered the growth.  Next year we hope to add some water catchment (rain) barrels so that we can water the garden no matter what is going on even if we cant access our hose bibs.

More potatoe harvesting - Mr. Brednerg is showing the seed and letting the kids know that its not one that you eat!

Digging a tire full of spuds!  The tires and the pallet bins did well for the potatoes - possibly due to them being in the shade more than the raised beds.

This is Mike Riffelmacher - he is a culinary hot shot and in the above picture is working with some of the peas harvested from the garden.

Mike also used some of the squash and onions mixed with the peas and carrots from the garden and made an absolutely delicious dish for my lunch and also treated the principal and vice principal!  If was so so good!  A huge treat for us!

The carrots were harvested a few days after the rest of the garden - the carrots did pretty well even though they were in the raised beds also.  We had a different soil mix in those bins a little more loam and it held the water better!

Next season we also hope to be able to get a greenhouse going so that the kids might do a "grow and take home" plants program of some type.  We are working on funding that and we are also moving towards working with our middle school to start a garden on their side of the fence so that all of the kids will have had some exposure to growing things and already have an interest before they get to the High School.  Stay tuned for some exciting things going on coming soon!

If you have a school near your home or farm I hope that you will start or support a garden there - or host tours/field trips of your gardens to help get the kids learning in your neighborhood!  It is so fun to see them use what they have learned and grown!