Basalt School Gardens and Greenhouses
We have been waiting a long time for circumstances to evolve toward school gardens and greenhouses in Basalt, and it appears that we may be ready in 2014. Houses for Higher Education (H4HE), in collaboration with Eric Pedersen, shop teacher at Basalt High School, has initiated a program for shop students to design and build cold frames for gardeners in our communities. They built a series of three cold frame sizes, several of each, and sold them all to enthusiastic gardeners. The students decided to save the money they made, in hopes of building a greenhouse at the High School. We hope to help them to design their greenhouse next year, and to build it in the Grace-Shehi community garden next door.
At the Basalt Middle School, science teacher and wrestling team coach Ryan Bradley has introduced his wrestling team to community gardening as a summer activity, which they have successfully engaged in for the past two summers at the Grace-Shehi Community Garden beside the High School. This year, Ryan wants to expand the gardening program by creating a large garden at the Middle School, making access easier for his wrestling team, and introducing his science class to the garden. We are now assembling a community team around Ryan and Eric, including H4HE, the Mid Valley Community Gardening Collective, students and families, the RE-1 school board and administration, the Town of Basalt, and community gardeners from the surrounding neighborhood. We have learned that building the social support network for a school garden is essential, before actually building the garden, so that we will have the volunteers to make the gardens vital to the community. Won't you help?
At the Basalt Middle School, science teacher and wrestling team coach Ryan Bradley has introduced his wrestling team to community gardening as a summer activity, which they have successfully engaged in for the past two summers at the Grace-Shehi Community Garden beside the High School. This year, Ryan wants to expand the gardening program by creating a large garden at the Middle School, making access easier for his wrestling team, and introducing his science class to the garden. We are now assembling a community team around Ryan and Eric, including H4HE, the Mid Valley Community Gardening Collective, students and families, the RE-1 school board and administration, the Town of Basalt, and community gardeners from the surrounding neighborhood. We have learned that building the social support network for a school garden is essential, before actually building the garden, so that we will have the volunteers to make the gardens vital to the community. Won't you help?
