News and information for staff members and the Madison community
Vol. II No. 9 - August 6, 2007
Hawthorne Elementary teacher Amy Covey is digging in the garden plot adjacent to the school. Her six-month old son Eli is cradled in her left arm, while four-year old son Jake is busy liberally planting beans for fall harvest. It's early afternoon in mid-July and the sun beats down on the school's garden. There's been no rain for a couple of weeks, but the garden is flourishing.
Covey, who promoted, planned and participated in the creation of the Hawthorne garden several years ago, admits that with two pre-schoolers, she isn't spending as much time this summer in the school's garden as she'd like (the boys are also "helping out" in the garden at home). But she says, "I've just learned to let it go." Different classes have different plots and the garden includes a variety of flowers, beans, peas, tomatoes, squash, carrots, ever-bearing raspberries and more. "We wanted plants that would bring bees, bugs and butterflies," Covey says.
Before summer break, students weeded and mulched their garden plots. Wendy Young, a Hawthorne special education assistant who lives near the school, occasionally spends time watering along with Covey, but mostly the gardens are self-maintaining. Covey explains, "Part of the experience for kids is seeing what happens over the summer. It's okay that it's not perfect."
Other elementary schools with gardens include Allis, Crestwood, Emerson, Huegel, Lapham, Midvale and Muir.
Across town at Randall Elementary, the school flower garden receives special attention from Randall parent Mary Bartholomew. "I'm a one-person committee," she jokes. "The garden is pretty self-sufficient in the summer," adding, "I only live three blocks away." She says the biggest problem this summer is the infestation of Japanese beetles.
Randall Principal Marianne Moss says parents have always taken responsibility for managing the garden and was excited to see that, "We now have a new scarecrow and painted rocks lining the garden's borders."
The garden is mostly perennials, Bartholomew says, and watering is done by herself, or with some kids that live near the school who she can enlist with a phone call or seeing them in the neighborhood. Next school year she hopes to recruit more parent volunteers with school newsletter solicitations.
"It doesn't take a good deal of time — maybe 25 minutes." With a child entering Franklin Elementary next year, Bartholomew says, "I'm in this for the long haul — at least the next six years."
"Bees, bugs and butterflies..."
Japanese beetles present problems for all Madison gardeners.
Last Updated: Thu Nov 1 13:37:07 2007
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