Extra Curricular Gardening at the River School on West 4th Street

I met Josie Luciano and Lynnae Fischbach of "Urban Roots Garden Classrooms" at the Nevada Indian Agriculture Summit (sponsored by UNCE) at the end of May. They are  involved with teaching children about the science and fun behind growing food. What really struck me was their commitment and passion for local living. So I decided it would be safe to sign up as a volunteer. Last night was the first time they called upon me, and after a day in the office, getting my hands dirty was going to feel pretty darn good...

5:00 p.m. River School:

We begin by walking the area to determine which space would be best for the kids to plant and pick from. Next we added compost and turned the soil where it was needed. We then selected radishes, carrots, and lettuces to be sown into the soil so that the kids have something to pick on their first day of class. There were two ideas on how this should be done...the first was "sow the seeds in a row so we know what is growing where", and the second was "broadcast the seeds randomly so that the kids can determine what is growing and begin to identify types of vegetables and weeds"...Personally I preferred the second idea because it allows for hands on learning to occur. We ended up with two spaces...one with spiral rows around flowers and stepping stones, and another randomly dispersed area...After that we moved some paving stones into place around an area where the kids will be growing once they get to class. We also added some "humus" which as I understand is a type of compost, improving soil structure and moisture retention...

All in all, I had a good time, and got to meet some new people with similar interests while simultaneously doing something good for the community, I feel accomplished... : )





for more info...
River School: http://www.riverschool.info/River_School/Home.html
Urban Roots Garden Classrooms: http://www.urgc.org/