Garden Necessities

In this morning’s Worcester Telegram, it is exciting to see a school involved in one of my favorite gardening chores: composting. For me, it’s a daily ritual, like morning coffee where food by-products (and my coffee grounds) produce my ‘black gold.’ Quabbin’s program takes composting to another level by teaching the students how to produce and market the end results. A quick excerpt from the article: “Quabbin’s program of composting cafeteria waste, using the compost to establish an organic garden, and then either selling harvested crops at the local farmers market or using them in the school cafeteria is unique.”

Kudos to those involved. This proves an effective use of grant money but more importantly, it teaches and motivates our kids with a hands-on, start to finish farm project. It’s training them to get their hands dirty, to work the soil and to reap the end benefits. How cool is that! The inspirational gardening thought of the day is by Anne Scott-James. “However small your garden, you must provide for two of the serious gardener's necessities, a tool shed and a compost heap.” See the full Telegram article, “A healthy garden of their own: Composting program at Quabbin plants seeds to success” at http://telegram.com/article/20090831/NEWS/908310335/1101 and post your comments. Tell the students and those involved about their good works. Inspire these young learners to keep connected to the land.