With spring comes a new growing season and with that comes a new school garden, this time at Lawrence Grassi Middle School (LGMS).
In collaboration with Canadian Rockies Public Schools, Alpine Edible Schoolyards (AES) last year piloted a 1/8-acre garden at Canmore Collegiate High School (CCHS) last year.
Last year, under the green thumb of Christian Wright and with the participation of CCHS and Alpenglow Community School students, the garden produced over 600 pounds of vegetables. These vegetables were used in the school cafeteria, passed on to students to take home or sold at both the Canmore and Banff markets during summer.
The LGMS garden will sit on a acre between LGMS and the Canmore Community Daycare.
But for that to happen, AES, the non-profit side of local business Farm Box, needs volunteers to help install eight-foot-high wildlife fencing, a rainwater catchment system and, of course, the beds themselves.
AES will host work parties on the weekends of May 17-18 and May 24-25. Volunteers interested in participating are asked to email Avni Soma at [email protected] or call 587-225-9935.
AES volunteer Bonnie Hamilton said gardens offer students the opportunity to learn about plants, gardening and farming, while offering teachers a location to teach these ideas, be it biology or art, by using the garden.
“The intent is educating kids on how to grow and the importance of having this resource, as well as we can, in this valley.
“The big thing is to engage the kids, engage the youth. Gardens are just natural gathering areas and that is what we hope to create in the garden – a gathering place.”
Eight horse troughs will be the first beds installed as they allow smaller children to reach into the beds. Larger beds for older kids will be installed in the garden, as well.
The project, based on last year’s results, is moving toward self-sufficiency.
“What’s really cool about this project,” Hamilton said, “is it’s kind of sustainable. The farmer, Christian Wright, grows most of the stuff in the summer when the kids aren’t there. He picks everything for the market and sells it there. He takes his wage out of that and the rest goes back into Alpine Edibles. That is how we can keep growing.”
So far, the project has been pushed forward through grants and support from the likes of the Rocky Mountain Flatbread Education Society, Lafarge, Nutter’s Bulk and Natural Foods, Canmore Community Daycare and local businesses and residents.
Hamilton said AES plans to continue collaborating with CRPS to plant similar gardens for students at Elizabeth Rummel and Exshaw schools and to further integrate gardens into the school cafeterias and the curriculum.
Another goal AES has is to help CRPS create a high school credit course and a summer internship program for students interested in farming and gardening.
Eventually, when the money is available, Hamilton said AES would like to build a greenhouse.
