You know that your Farmer's Market is successful when you have 3rd graders clamoring for your produce and spending their allotted $5 well! Last week, we had a quote worthy 3rd grader buying fresh, organic produce from our 5th graders' Farmer's Market. When asked if she would like a bag with her purchase, she said, "actually, yes I would because I'm scootering home." We love our children and love that they have embraced the school garden and eating fresh produce from it!

The weather was finally decent this week so we were able to get our garden explorers out to the gardens to plant spring vegetables. The students were very excited to plant more seedlings and seeds and of course, water them (probably one of their favorite activities!). Hopefully we will be able to harvest some produce before summer vacation!

We are so excited to announce that Whole Foods will be hosting a garden party in our garden during the Spring Fest on April 12th from 2-6 p.m. We are thrilled for this partnership! They will also be having a healthy cooking demo with samples. How cool is that?! You won't want to miss it!

Here's a photo of Dianne and her class trying organic asparagus grown at school! I want to thank Dianne for dedicating so much time to our school garden and teaching weekly classes. We appreciate you!

This winter, we have continued to have our weekly garden classes with the students, albeit with some strange weather! The students have also gotten to try many new veggies and fruits. We have conducted taste tests in the garden and also in PE classes. The students have gotten to try: asparagus, lettuce, radishes, carrots, snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, arugula (too spicy for most of the kids), edamame, strawberries and blueberries. This has been very exciting for them and I'm so proud of them for trying it and usually liking it! Our focus this school year is nutrition and helping the students make healthier food choices. So far so good.

We are excited for Spring and the thought of some warmer weather! We will be planting spring veggies after Spring Break. Don't forget about the weekly 5th grade Farmer's Market every Wednesday from 2:40-3:10 by the bike racks! Almost everything costs $1 and is organically grown by our students in the courtyard. Hope to see you there!

This week in the garden, the students are getting a taste of what they have been growing! They are trying radish "chips" (radishes sliced thinly) and carrots this week. So far, the students have been enjoying the veggies and excited to know that they are growing these vegetables in their gardens. They are also learning about root vegetables vs. leafy vegetables. 

Our last garden lesson had the students making herb bundles for their parents. Sadly, we didn't get any photos of the classes. However, they were very excited to be making handmade gifts for their families! What a beautiful time to be gardening at Wells Branch Elementary!