Growing Fruit and Vegetables in a large school garden utilized by the school food service

by Glen Roberts

Major Program: Youth Fruit & Vegetable Access

Collaborators: Glen Roberts, ANR agent, Ashley DeBord, ANR assistant, Danny Adams, KSU Small Farm Assistant, Justin Horton, FFA Adviser/VoAg instructor, Karen Gibson, School Food Service Director, Master Gardeners, VoAg and FCS students, Terry Bertram ANR Assistant.

Situation:  Todays youth are unaware how good their food is grown.  School cafeterias struggle to provide fresh nutritious, affordable locally grown vegetables for their food service.  

The ANR agent approached a school board member and the superintendent about beginning a school garden harvested in the fall.  They and the school food service director were receptive of the idea.  

The ANR agent, Small Farm Assistant, and VoAg instructor teamed up to grow and harvest the first 1/2 garden and supply the produce to the school food service to be used in the cafeterias.  It was very successful and has now completed 8 seasons and grown to a 4 acre garden.  The garden is in walking distance for the students to be able to harvest and help with the fruit and vegetable production that occurs after school begins in the fall semester.

The ANR agent has 40 years experience growing and marketing produce.  That experience helped him to be able to grow the transplants needed and how to schedule planting in the field for the produce to be ready for harvest when the students return from summer vacation.  The students harvest the produce and it is delivered to the 5 school cafeterias to be utilized there.  The school food service workers and the ANR agent have a Facebook page to facilitate communication about what produce is available to use including date and quantity.

This year they grew grape tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelons, sweet corn, potatoes, peppers, and brussels sprouts.  This year we added a weed barrier between melon rows that decreased weed competition and increased yields and quality.  We also grew one acre of pumpkins supplying over 1200 five pound pumpkins to pre-school through second grade students.  The Vocational Agriculture students were paired up with each student to help them select their pumpkin.

The value of the produce to the school food service is around $20,000.  More importantly, students have leaned more about how vegetables and fruits are grown.  They have gained skills and are better informed. The school food service workers say that they have observed the students eating significantly more fresh vegetables and fruits as a result of the school garden project.  They have also taken ownership of the garden which has become something they are proud to be a part of.  The community has also embraced the school garden with a sense of pride as well.  We have testimonials from parents and grandparents saying that the students are eating more fruits and vegetables at home as well.