In the back of the school, we have a garden of raised beds where the students plant flowers, herbs and vegetables, and learn about plants and the creatures that depend on them. Each grade has a raised bed with a specific theme and a flag with their grade level. I take the classes out to the garden in the spring during their scheduled Science Lab time, and they plant seeds or young plants. During the summer Explorations programs, students do activities in the garden with the OPS teachers who lead the summer classes. In the fall, the students visit again with me, to measure their plants and harvest their crops.
The raised beds were built in 2011 by Oradell Boy Scout Troop 36 and Eagle Scout John Haak (an OPS graduate) and funded through a grant from the New Jersey Agricultural Society. Every year when we buy new seeds and supplies, the Oradell PTA helps pay for them. In 2016, the Oradell Kids Foundation donated the funds to buy and install a sprinkler system to help the plants be healthier. We are grateful to all the people and organizations that support the garden, so that the students at OPS can have the chance to grow plants with their own hands. We rely on parents for the spring and fall cleanups. To help, or if you have any questions, send an email to [email protected] or [email protected]. |
What to look for in the Garden
January: In the winter months, you might find birds or other animals looking for seeds in the garden. We leave some dried plants there for them.
February: If the winter hasn't been very cold, some of the perennial herb plants will still have leaves. You can pick a few and smell them.
March: The perennial plants, which stay alive through the winter, will start growing first. Look for sage, strawberry plants and daisies.
April: We do our Spring Cleanup and get the beds ready for planting. More perennial plants send up shoots. Look for white flowers on the strawberry plants.
May: This is the month when we do most of our planting. Look for tomato and sunflower plants. If you find a ripe strawberry, you can pick and eat it.
June: The tomato and sunflower plants will be getting taller. The corn, squash and beans in the Three Sisters garden start to get tall.
July: Daisies and purple coneflower start to bloom, attracting butterflies. Lavender and other herbs bloom and attract bees.
August: Look for tomatoes and peppers. The sunflowers bloom. The herb plants will have lots of leaves. You can pick and eat a few leaves.
September: When our students return in the fall, the sunflower plants are taller than them. We can harvest tomatoes, peppers, herbs, corn, squash, and beans.
October: Some of the vegetable plants are still producing. We harvest the last herbs and vegetables and do our Fall Cleanup.
November: The annual plants are done for the year. The perennial plants lose their leaves and store their energy in their roots as the cold weather arrives.
December: The garden is ready for winter. We save some seeds for the next spring.
February: If the winter hasn't been very cold, some of the perennial herb plants will still have leaves. You can pick a few and smell them.
March: The perennial plants, which stay alive through the winter, will start growing first. Look for sage, strawberry plants and daisies.
April: We do our Spring Cleanup and get the beds ready for planting. More perennial plants send up shoots. Look for white flowers on the strawberry plants.
May: This is the month when we do most of our planting. Look for tomato and sunflower plants. If you find a ripe strawberry, you can pick and eat it.
June: The tomato and sunflower plants will be getting taller. The corn, squash and beans in the Three Sisters garden start to get tall.
July: Daisies and purple coneflower start to bloom, attracting butterflies. Lavender and other herbs bloom and attract bees.
August: Look for tomatoes and peppers. The sunflowers bloom. The herb plants will have lots of leaves. You can pick and eat a few leaves.
September: When our students return in the fall, the sunflower plants are taller than them. We can harvest tomatoes, peppers, herbs, corn, squash, and beans.
October: Some of the vegetable plants are still producing. We harvest the last herbs and vegetables and do our Fall Cleanup.
November: The annual plants are done for the year. The perennial plants lose their leaves and store their energy in their roots as the cold weather arrives.
December: The garden is ready for winter. We save some seeds for the next spring.