TA News

The gray squirrels are throwing acorns down from the top of the oaks. Their nut harvests bounce and bang off the compost center’s roof as I deadhead flowers and encourage them to continue blooming into late September. A challenge of any school garden in New England is to time the planting to ensure late summer and fall harvests.

Thetford Academy’s garden on the school’s South Campus is beautiful and full of life, thanks to summer garden interns Meredith Sloop, Lola Squire, some faculty and community volunteers. It’s true that many hands make light work. Together we weeded, watered, planted, harvested, and squished bugs. We also paid attention, wondered, and problem-solved. “Why are those tomato leaves wilted and curled?” “Someone is digging holes.” “How can we collect water at the base of each plant?” “Are those eggs?”

It’s exciting to think that in just a few days, TA students will be back on campus. Together, we’ll harvest tomatoes and salad greens for the Panther Cafe, and bring basil, onions, eggplants, peppers and zucchini to our Culinary Arts classroom. We’ll be ready to pickle cucumbers and dig potatoes. We’ll keep an eye on the squash bugs, stay on the lookout for tomato hornworms, and celebrate the pollinators. And we’ll await the eventual frost which will sweeten our carrots and reveal the squash and pumpkins. 

South Campus is such a special place at Thetford Academy. How fortunate we are to have a disc golf course, low ropes activities, an outdoor classroom, and a thriving school garden to ease the transition back to school for all!