More than just a garden

Mr. Jameshas created more than just a school garden program. It is a microcosm of the agriculture in surrounding Stanislaus County. Students grow products that reflect their county’s bounty. The garden produces a variety of summer vegetables including peppers and tomatoes, and winter vegetables, citrus, herbs, cut flowers and more. With their summer harvest, students enter the Stanislaus County Fair and win first places! They also have chickens, a lathe house for propagation and areas to gather. The garden has been in its present location since 1994 and every year they add to it. This year, they are building a walkway.

More than just a garden

To Mr. James, what works is a garden program that reflects the actual agriculture community, so that’s what he tries to do.  Previously, a teacher tried to put in a native habitat.  It was a nice idea, but it didn’t work with these kids.  This way, the kids are weeding shoulder to shoulder. He doesn’t use anything synthetic, and they grow crops that they can enter into the county fair.  This is great incentive for the students.

During the summer, a few students stay on and prepare their products for the Stanislaus County Fair. For several years, students have entered the fair with a variety of herbs and crops—rosemary, peppers, squash, tomatoes—40 different kinds of vegetables in fact. They not only grow and harvest all the crops, but they set up the displays, label the vegetables and make all the arrangements to make it look good. For every First Place, each student gets $1.25 and a ribbon. Last year students earned about $80 each and many ribbons. This is a great incentive for students and keeps them involved with all aspects of growing the crops.

“Having personal buy-in gives you a sense of ownership.”

“People always talk about ‘raised beds, raised beds’. I just make these soil mounds with furrows.  The kids know not to walk where the plants are, only in the furrows, and the soil is great, and I can just build it back up each year.  Pretty much, the beds are all the time growing with something.”  Mr. James