Garden to Grinds Hawaii Academy of Arts and

Garden to Grinds • Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science Public Charter School • Winter semester, 2014 • Ms. Wendy Baker and Ms. Nicole Lindsey

Garden to Grinds 2014 Winter Semester Article by Vanessa Workman Two Gardening classes were held this semester including 40 upper campus middle grade students from 7 th and 8 th grade. What we do is we have mini-lessons in gardening, about green mulch and how worms fertilize our soil, which leads to some great fertilizer! We also plant some plants that are needed for our end of the semester dish, in which we try to use our own plants for our ingredients. After we learn about green mulch and/or fertilization, we go outside and practice our newfound skills in a compost pile, then in our own gardens! The gardens are located on lower campus, just by the cow fields. Trust me, you can’t miss it!

Cover crop of peanuts Peanuts pulled and bed prepped for green mulch.

Shredded peanut plants used as green mulch.

(continued) Article by Vanessa Workman We learn about mulch and fertilization because it is important: feed the soil and the soil feeds you. By that proverb, we mean if you take care of your gardens’ soil, it will grow amazing plants which you can eat! We learn many ways and uses of our plants, such as using hibiscus for tea, or using pineapples and onions for a tasty dish! We learned many different ways of composting and fertilization, and how to apply it to our own gardens! We start every single lesson with a chant, which is a way of centering yourself and readying yourself to take care of the land.

Hibiscus Flower fruit & calyces

Stosh Cummins with a three pound potato! Serves up a dish he made to complement students’ lunch.