Buena Vista School

About our Garden

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

Our school garden includes a food forest with trees, berries, and herbs and raised boxes for traditional medicines. We have a front garden bed with a variety of native plants, berries, herbs, and some perennial vegetables. Indoors, we use a window greenhouse for seed germination and different classrooms are using grow lights to grow different vegetables and houseplants. We are adding raised garden boxes next spring.

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

In our outdoor garden, we grow a variety of fruit trees and shrubs including apple trees, cherry trees, saskatoons, blueberries, haskap berries, pincherries, and strawberries. We also have rhubarb and herbs like thyme, oregano, chives, and mint. Indoors, we have focused on vegetables like beans, cucumbers, peas, tomatoes, lettuce, kale, potatoes, and herbs, which thrive more easily in controlled conditions. Root vegetables like carrots and beets have been difficult to grow as we haven't had the proper spacing for them.

Why did your school decide to add a school garden?

We wanted to add and expand on our gardening initiatives and spaces as they give students hands-on experience with nature and a real connection to where food comes from. Our indoor and outdoor growing locations are spaces where kids learn about planting, growing, harvesting, and cooking fruits and vegetables. These garden spaces support them in exploring native plants, traditional medicines, and local ecosystems. The garden brings sustainability and environmental awareness into our daily routines, which helps teach our responsibility to the environment and support students in deeping their respect for the land around us.

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

Students from pre-K to grade 8 all participate in garden activities, engaging in a wide range of learning experiences. The garden areas cover all subject areas, with many teachers focusing on literacy and incorporating many other subjects. Classes enjoy using the garden areas as outdoor classroom spaces.

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

Day-to-day management of the garden is handled by staff members and students, with teachers coordinating activities and ensuring everything is cared for. During the summer, we have an automatic sprinkler system in place and utilize mulch to help reduce the need for weeding and watering. In the past, our teaching staff maintained the garden, but as we plan for a more extensive vegetable garden next year, we plan to collaborate with school families to assist in its care. We also receive support from members of a nearby community garden, who help with our gardening initiatives.

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?

We use the harvest from our garden in various ways. Students engage in cooking initiatives in their classrooms, where they often participate in taste testing of the produce they’ve grown. They also share their harvest with other classrooms when possible.

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

We have strong community involvement in our garden initiatives. The nearby community garden has been a fantastic partner, mentoring our students and staff and inviting us to participate in their activities. Their volunteers grow produce for our students to use. We also have a supportive community of parents and families who are eager to help with our initiatives. Our school has been fortunate to receive funding from a couple of grants to support our goals for tree and shrub planting, native plants, and gardening. We’ve benefited from seed, mulch, and pot donations. This funding has enabled us to purchase the plants, materials, and tools we need to grow our garden effectively and will allow us to expand next year.

What are your future plans for the school garden?

Our future plans for the school garden include building raised vegetable beds to expand our vegetable gardening from indoors to outdoors. We aim to grow herbs and produce that families can harvest and students can use in their classroom cooking. We are receiving a donation of a composting tumbler soon. We also hope to keep students excited and engaged in caring for and learning from both the food forest and the native plant gardens.

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

Starting a school garden is a great way to engage kids with nature and hands-on learning. Begin small (it doesn't have to be big) and try some easy-to-grow plants to keep things manageable. Involve the students in every step, from planning, labelling, watering, transplanting, pruning, to harvesting. Things will get messy! Plants will die. That's all part of the learning experience. Even young kids can do a lot if we just give them the opportunity.