Farm to School Objectives

1. Increase local produce in school cafeterias

2. Connecting school gardens to cafeteria

3. Develop curriculum opportunities that support healthy eating habits

Farm to School Curriculum guide

• Identify hands on learning activities, and resources for – K-4– Middle School– High School

Curriculum Goals/Themes

1. How to grow food2. Food processing and safety3. Food and human health4. Environmental impacts of food production5. Food culture and history of food production

• Identifies Library Resources Common Core ELA goals

&• Next Generation

Science Standards Learning Objectives for each level

• Links to online lesson plans and resources &• Includes lesson plans

School Garden Guidelines

• Planning and Monitoring = job of the committee members

• No pressure treated wood• Compost only from reliable sources• Soils tested for heavy metals to establish new

sites• Grow a variety of plants organically without the

addition of any inorganic pesticides or herbicides• Fencing or surveillance protection

Click icon to add picture

Click icon to add pictureCreation of the Fence Around the

Garden1) Getting posts from • Haselton lumber

• Mr. Wissler BOCES class

2) Invisible fencing donated by Wynde Reese (Earth Roots

Landscaping)

3) Excavation of garden done by Harlow Excavating

High School Science Classes and Environmental Club

Shipman Youth Center Garden and Field Trips

Senior Projects

Click to add text

Saranac Lake HSSchool Garden

Our first year of expanded garden In the fall of 2013 we (with the help of Paul Smiths students and

Kate Glenn) built our expanded school garden. This was a combined effort of our school to work transition classes and the Green Storm environmental club.

Applied for NEA grant of $5000 for greenhouse and was granted money. Our construction class began the process of framing the greenhouse and creating shelves for the interior.

Late Spring, we planted kale, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and carrots. Also, we planted a perennial pollinator garden to attract pollinators to our garden.

Success! We had a great summer with lots of sun and significant rain. The garden had at least four different people coming over the

summer to weed, water, and tend. We planted late, but once the plants had a chance to get going,

produced some good results.

Garden Gate Calendar with scheduled “tenders” and instructions on how to get the water to the site and what to weed and what not to weed.

The gate and the fence were constructed by our transition to work class under the supervision of Mr. Ellsworth. Also, his students this fall have weeded between the beds and thinned our carrot bed.

CARROTS!We grew some great purple and orange carrots this year.

TATERS! Late start with these, but they produced pretty well.

ONIONSModerate success with white and red onions.

FlowersAdding asthetics

PerennialGarden

The HarvestOur garden “spoils” were included in the Farm to School lunch served on October 9, 2014.

The Issues Although there were four people signed up to work on the

garden, the majority of the work throughout the summer was done by one person.

Inconsistent access to water supply Highly drained soil Early frost Insect pests

TomatoesHit hard by the early freeze.

KALEHit hard by the cabbage whites

Greenhouse

GreenhouseGreat to have students working but certain specs were not met.

Had to deconstruct

Ordered new greenhouse.

NEXT YEAR

Goals Try and resolve water issue – need to work out a better

schedule so all needs are met. More people to take up the mantle Enrich soil so it doesn’t drain as quickly Research biological controls for insect pests. Increase yield

New GreenhouseExtend growing season

Allow for early planting

Supply kitchen with greens into the fall

Local Supports

Bags of soil donated by Ace Hardware

Fence posts donated by Specialty Wood

Mini grants from North Country Healthy Heart Network for materials & tools

Starts donated by Fledging Crow Farm

Expertise & greenhouse space for starts provided by Mia Ross, Master Gardener (Petrova)

Volunteer Coordinator – Polly Kelting (Petrova)

HHOTT House provided work space and soil for starting seeds(Petrova)

Lake Placid High School Garden – Youth Center 2014

• Squash, carrots, beans, lettuce, kale, cilantro, potatoes, oregano, chives, mint, raspberries, crabapple trees

Summer Maintenance and Challenges• Farm to school email list

includes faculty, students, parents

• Call to help lots of responses schedule for weekly garden checks and watering (by hand)

• Burst pipe from winter no outside water source other

• Rainwater collection system saved the day

Future Cafeteria Garden Plan