TA News

Once the snow falls, the physical work of the garden ends. I smile and sigh a breath of relief, knowing that the garden is tucked-in for its much deserved winter rest.  As the Thetford Academy Garden Coordinator, I am continuously aware that it’s not “my” garden, but rather “everyone’s” garden. 

During the long, warm and sunny autumn, students came to the garden with their teachers to do both physical and academic work, to learn, and to take breaks.  Teachers and staff recharged in the garden with sits, strolls, lunches, and flower picking.  Community members gathered around the garden to walk their dogs, catch up with a friend, play Disc Golf, and volunteer.  Birds, bees, butterflies, other insects, deer, and voles also paid their visits.  

Many hands make light work!  Thanks to the following classes and teachers for garden support:

• Orchard and Garden Fence Removal:  Outdoor Physical Education, Scott Ellis
• Orchard Fence Installation: Cooking for Health, Jennifer Gernhard
• 2 Sisters Beans and Squash Harvest: 7th Grade Social Studies, Stacy Barton
• Harvests, Cooking, and Fall Clean-up:  Foods Around the World, Cooking for Health, Farm and Garden Club
• Planting garlic, tulips and daffodils: Personal Fitness and Wellness,  Gretchen Czaja
• Thinking about Water:  English, Kristen Downey
• Soil Testing: Forestry, Kathy Hooke
• Planting Wheat:  Pastries, Zsuzsa Mitro and Jennifer Gernhard
• Pea Shoot Experiments:  8th grade science, Kathy Hooke
• Brain Breaks: Conceptual Physical Science, Nick Pasterino
• Celebrating Flowers: Art, Karyn Neubauer
• Scavenger Hunt: English, Abby MacGregor
• Donating wood shavings:  Design Technology, Chris Schmidt
• Machinery support:  Facilities, John Brown

Our TA garden produced over 260 pounds of veggies!  Jennifer Gernhard’s culinary arts classes made great use of our carrots, potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, basil, dry beans, zucchini, cucumbers, onions, garlic, cabbages, cilantro, parsley, and more.  Sean and Kim, TA’s kitchen team, added garden lettuce, baby kale, spinach, cherry tomatoes, carrots and green beans for the salad bar in the Panther Cafe.  We shared our surplus with the Thetford Food Shelf, Strafford Community Fridge, and Willing Hands.

The cafe and culinary classes gave back to the garden in the form of veggie scraps for the compost!  We haul over 30 gallons of food waste to the compost “palace” each week, and layer it with shavings from Chris Schmidt’s woodworking classes.  Once the bin is full, I turn it with the tractor and then take its temperature with visiting student groups.  It’s exciting to watch the needle rise to 120 degrees and beyond, and know that compost is happening!

Thanks to our neighboring businesses for collaboration and support:  

• TA Alumnus Phil Mason, Owner of Crossroad Farm, donated flower and veggie starts, welcomed us for a farm tour and visit, and is an enthusiastic resource.
• West Lebanon Feed and Supply gave us expired-but-still-good seeds for next season. 
• Coast of Maine Compost and Gardener’s Supply donated compost enriched with sea minerals, a bonus to the compost we already produce.  
• Tip Top Pottery hosted Cooking For Health students for the Empty Bowl Project.  
• Willing Hands welcomed both Gretchen Czaja’s Health and Jennifer Gernhard’s culinary classes as volunteers to help feed our neighbors.  
• Nando Jaramillo from Moon and Stars Arepas came to teach us about sustainable agriculture, ancient corn varieties and making arepas.