Southminster Community Garden
Southminster Community Garden in association with the Holland School, Holland Green Club and Michelle Peak
The Holland School and Holland Green club is being sponsored by Southminster's Community Garden this year. "The garden is growing roots, thanks to a group of 20 third through fifth-graders at Holland Elementary School. Located just down the street from the school." The church Session elected to donate the use of the land and partner with the students by providing volunteers to help maintain the garden.
“The church supplies all of the water and all the seeds to support it,” said Peak. “The goal is this summer for the parents and the students to engage together, coming out, working in the garden, learning how to take care of the plants, and when they do that volunteer time, they will be able to harvest the vegetables for their families.”
“The church supplies all of the water and all the seeds to support it,” said Peak. “The goal is this summer for the parents and the students to engage together, coming out, working in the garden, learning how to take care of the plants, and when they do that volunteer time, they will be able to harvest the vegetables for their families.”
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Story from the SPS Communications website.
Holland Community Garden supports growing students as they learn Holland fourth-grader Mason Gainer tills a row, gently prodding at the ground as he talks with his friends. Next to him, Theo Elder, a third-grader, shovels dirt onto freshly planted seeds. “I love nature, love being outside and I’m an outside kid,” says Mason. “I like learning about plants.” “Basically what he said,” says Theo. The Holland Community Garden is growing roots, thanks to a group of 20 third through fifth-graders at Holland Elementary School. Located just down the street from the school, the garden is located on the grounds of Southminster Presbyterian Church. The church board elected to donate the land and partner with the students by providing volunteers to help maintain the garden. |
Michelle Peak, Holland Elementary secretary, oversees the project.
“The church supplies all of the water and all the seeds to support it,” said Peak. “The goal is this summer for the parents and the students to engage together, coming out, working in the garden, learning how to take care of the plants, and when they do that volunteer time, they will be able to harvest the vegetables for their families.” But harvesting plants takes a bit of patience and hard work. Students are learning both from horticulturist Justine Campbell, founder and executive of Springfield Compost Collective and Springfield Community Gardens as the compost and garden leader educator. The Compost Collective donated the materials necessary to begin the garden’s composting station. “First time I came, we learned about how compost works,” said Campbell. “We learned about how to create soil from food waste. Now, I’m just a support system, and I help our gardeners garden in nature by mimicking what’s around them, not using chemicals or over tilling the garden. But the kids already know that by instinct already. They just want to make a hole and put seeds in it, and I encourage that.” For Theo, gardening is something he does at home. His family has four garden boxes that they take care of themselves, he says proudly. “I think my cousin’s had a garden once,” said Mason. “It’s fun to get dirty.” |
Southminster and Holland Green Club in the news.... KY3
Springfield Compost Collective went to Holland Community Garden to donate a composting area!! SCC also taught the Green Club of Holland Elementary how to compost their food scraps and garden waste.
Green Club of Holland Elementary did a wonderful job at Southminster's community garden, Southminster is glad to partner with Michelle Peaks and Holland School on this project.
