September 11, 2018 - 1:33pm -- bennett.709@osu.edu

In August, Miami County Master Gardener Volunteers began their second year of working with Piqua Central Intermediate School to teach students about gardening and growing vegetables. The Master Gardeners plan to provide a total of four organized, educational lessons, which reinforce life science curriculum standards. With the help of MGVs, the children planted lettuce and radishes in hopes of a fall harvest. The students learned about plant selection, planting depth, and parts of a seed.

New to The Garden Tribe this year is 12 new raised beds that were added over the summer to allow all 250 fifth graders their own foot by foot area in the bed. Now, each child can view their plant progress in their own square foot of garden.  Also installed over the summer was electricity for security lighting, a water hydrant, and soon, a second storage shed and more picnic tables.

The aim of the project is to not only revitalize an empty lot of land but to teach students the ease and rewards of growing their own food. The location is the site of the old school building, which sits directly across the street from the new school. The old school had been demolished and the lot, seeded with grass, was sitting empty. The educational goal of the project is to teach students in Piqua how easy it is to grow vegetables at home. And, to get students to try vegetables that they have not previously tasted or liked. Additionally, students will learn nutrition, commitment, ownership, and responsibility.