How does your garden grow?
Ours just got started.
Dante Galeazzi, president/CEO of the Texas International Produce Association, and I had a chance to see the beginnings of the garden funded by the Viva Fresh Open Golf Tournament through the Texas Department of Agriculture's Urban School Agricultural Grant program. We donated $15,000 to fund the grant.
The site was Aldine ISD's Nutrition Services building, in Houston, Texas. Dani Sheffield, executive director of Child Nutrition Services, and nutritionist-turned-gardener Kaisha Martelly Molinar, gave us a tour of the garden and an overview of what they hope to accomplish through the program.
While the garden had just been planted a few weeks prior, Dani and Kaisha's pride in the potential, and the accomplishments of the students who had participated in prepping and planting the first crops was evident.
Currently, the garden is maintained by children going through Aldine ISD's alternative school programs, for kids who are having trouble in traditional classrooms. The kids earn the right to work in the garden, and work fiercely to maintain access, they said.
They were planning to harvest basil later in the week and cook and serve it as an end-of-the-year celebration.