Mini-farms sprouting at Delta schools

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Students learn to build and maintain garden boxes.
(Photo: Mike Schneider)

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun
Level 3

Students in Delta schools are learning about farming. They grow, harvest, cook, preserve and distribute their own produce.

Project Pickle makes pickles.
Project Pickle started at Pebble Hill Elementary School in 2012. Their mini-farm was five raised garden beds.

Students planted 200 cucumber plants in June. They harvested 35 dozen cucumbers.
High school students showed the elementary students how to make pickles.

Read the PDF and do the exercise

Visit the links

Watch the video

 

Cucumbers are grown for pickling. Photo: Mike Schneider

Cucumbers are grown for pickling.
(Photo: Mike Schneider)

Agriculture is part of the curriculum.
Delta students learn about soil, growing techniques and marketing. They learn about processing, warehousing and distribution.

The program leads to jobs in the food economy as farmers, chefs, restaurant owners, processors and marketers.

The mini-farms are part of the local economy.
The mini-farms grow produce for the cooking program, the cafeteria and outside catering jobs.

Last fall students harvested spinach, beets and lettuce. They sold the produce to earn money for the school.

They donated unsold food to the South Delta Food bank. This year food banks in Delta will get a portion of the harvest.

Raised planting beds at a Delta schoolyard. Photo: Mike Schneider

Raised planting beds at a Delta schoolyard.
(Photo: Mike Schneider)