Galt Collegiate Institute & Vocational School

About our Garden

Please describe your garden, is it raised beds, in the ground, do you have a greenhouse?

Our garden is in the ground, but with additional funding that came in this year, we will soon have raised beds as well.

What vegetables/fruit do you grow in your garden? What do you have a difficult time growing in your school garden?

This past year we grew cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, delicate squash, watermelon, cucamelon, mustard, arugula, jalapenos, turnips, chives, parsley, carrots, kale. We had a difficult time growing onions, we only grew half a cob of corn, our watermelons were stolen twice, and we did not grow any cucumbers or zucchini, which I would like to do this year.

Why did your school decide to add a school garden?

We added a school garden because we started the Green Industries Technology course for our students. We feel it is very important for students to learn how to grow their own food and so we wanted to expand on the seed library we already have for students to grow food at the school location.

What classes participate in the garden, what subjects are taught in the garden?

Currently we have Green Industries Technology classes in the garden. This has expanded from 14 students last year to over 60, growing in sections. With this grant and another one we received, we are expanding the space and looking to add in outdoor classroom supplies to allow others to use the garden space as well. The current garden space is in the parking lot, which students are discouraged from being in, hence the move to a new spot with raised beds.

Who manages the garden day to day? Who manages the garden over the Summer break?

My students in Green Industries manage the garden day to day. We started the seeds inside, transplanted the seedlings, weeded the garden in the spring and then harvested in September when we returned.
Over the summer, Youth in Food Systems runs a program with garden volunteers and a supervisor who maintained the garden. The food they planted and harvested went to the Food Bank in Cambridge for a pay what you choose stand.

What do you do with the harvest from your garden? Do you have a harvest celebration? Do you use it in the cafeteria, or culinary classes? Do you donate some of the produce?

Students had a fantastic time eating food straight out of the garden. They also took some produce home. I took several squash home and roasted them, then brought them in for the students to eat. We also saved as many seeds as we could from the current plants/harvested veggies.
Since we had a very small space, there was no the supply we would need to support our foods program, but it is a collaboration I plan to do for this next year.
The produce from the summer was donated weekly to the Food Bank.

Do you have community involvement? Do you have parents and volunteers? Have been able to source other funding to help your garden grow?

We are now involved with Youth in Food Systems and student volunteers from outside our school. With our expanding space, we would also look to have student clubs, staff garden volunteers, and to get our parent council involved.
We also have a grow system from Youth in Food Systems that has been fantastic!

We have sourced other funding from Whole Kids Garden Grant for $3500 USD.

What are your future plans for the school garden?

Our future plans are to build approximately 200 sq feet of raised garden beds next to a new fence for trellising. We plan to make this into a community project and an art mural on the beds themselves. We are also looking at installing a water collection system and a compost system for the school. The students are participating in seed saving and we are hosting an event for the Seeds of Diversity youth who run the Seed Library.

Any words of encouragement/tips for a school starting a school garden?

Just start! It is truly the best and the kids come alive when their hands are in the soil. There is also something magical about students eating DELICIOUS cherry tomatoes straight out of the garden. I also wanted to say thank you. Without the funding from Nutrients For Life, we wouldn't be able to have a class set of shovels, gloves, snips, hand rakes, and many other essential items. Without outside funding, none of this learning would have been possible.