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US (IN): Indoor garden helps students broaden their food horizons

Bailey Horning knew all about lettuce and broccoli, but recently, she came home excited about Swiss chard.

That’s because it was one of the vegetables and herbs growing in the 6-foot hydroponics garden in Nicole Dean’s first-grade class at Tenth Street Elementary School.

“I got it from the Anderson City Market,” Bailey said.

Many schools, including Tenth Street, have outdoor gardens, but teachers there have made gardening a year-round inside activity. In fact, Dean said, the 25 students assigned to her classroom can’t plant outdoors till the spring, which also delays their enjoyment.

The garden acquaints students with foods they might be unwilling to try at home; provides an introduction to science, technology, engineering and math as well as health and nutrition concepts; and soothes them emotionally, Dean said.

Students get the satisfaction from tending to the plants, which include several types of lettuce, peas and pumpkins, Dean said. Planting and harvesting also isn’t weather-dependent, she added.

“We planted on Friday, and they already saw sprouts on Monday,” she said. “We’ve got some tomatoes, and they just got flowers. We have to pollinate them ourselves.”

Read more at The Herald Bulletin (Rebecca R. Bibbs)
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