Garden becomes classroom
Stopping to smell the flowers
Arlene Marturano

Arlene Marturano is a master gardener, writer, and educator. As an advocate of gardening as a tool for learning, she helped develop the Carolina Children's Garden at the Sandhill Research and Education Center. She is an education consultant with T.E.A.C.H.

marturano@yahoo.com

Andrea Williams grew up gardening. Her family ate fresh produce from their garden and canned both vegetables and fruits. Williams, a nurse for over 14 years, turned to gardening as a way to relax after work.

Williams works at Gadsden Elementary in Richland District One and shares her love of the land, plants, the outdoors, and healthy eating through the Outdoor Learning Garden she developed.

The garden was to be a beautification project for the newly enclosed courtyard, but her ideas expanded into an area that could be used as an outdoor classroom.

"As a school nurse I feel strongly that children are not too young to be responsible for their health and what to eat and what choices to make. They can invest in their health now," Williams said.

Andrea Williams and second grader, Alexis Garrick, hold some of the new herbs that they will plant in the garden.

The garden includes reading benches, picnic tables, a shaded deck for outdoor instruction and programs, raised beds, a pond, an herb garden, an orchard, and blank walls for student murals.

The project was funded by the community, private grant programs, and state resources. Local businessess donated soil and plants. Local farmers donated cotton and collard plants. Rural churches became faith partners by donating a hundred dollars each. Lower Richland High School carpentry classes built the benches, picnic tables, and deck.

In its third year, the garden grows plants for all four seasons. Students harvest greens from the winter garden of collards, broccoli, and a variety of mustards. Students take home recipe cards to teach their parents and share garden information in the school newsletter.

There is much interest and support for the garden, which pairs low impact aerobics with healthy eating.

Alexis Garrick, Destuni and Jeffrey DeVeaux plant colorful flowers.

"Our parents have been really supportive. Colleagues plan lessons in the garden too," Williams said.

Plans for the spring garden are underway. Along with sowing seeds of cantaloupe, watermelon, peppers, tomatoes, squash, onions, okra, and peanuts, a blueberry patch to complement the strawberry patch and dwarf apples will be added to the garden.