The Tunbridge Central School held their second annual “Garden Day” on Thursday, May 28. Students and teachers celebrated and enjoyed TCS’s Farm to School program by getting their hands dirty and working together in the school gardens all afternoon. We appreciate support from Upper Valley Farm to School mini-grant program for funding a variety of garden supplies such as tools, plants, and mulch for this special event. To kick off Garden Day, students enjoyed a delicious lunch of local foods including pulled pork sandwiches and sloppy joes with local meats from Back Beyond Farm and Howvale Farm, caprese salad and salsa (made by grades 6 & 7) with tomatoes from Long Wind Farm, potato salad with potatoes from Chapelle’s Vermont Potatoes, yogurt from Stonyfield Organic, and a salad of mesclun greens from Tunbridge Hill Farm. After lunch, all students from grades K to 8 were divided into teams where they weeded, spread compost and planted in the gardens, made scarecrows, went for a hike, did trail work, pruned and mulched bushes and plants, and cleaned up tree limbs that blew over in the previous day’s storm. Teams of student photographers also recorded the day’s work with cameras in hand. A quick passing rainstorm sent everyone inside a little early, but many students were back out planting and pruning as soon as possible after the storm passed. Finally, each student potted and took home their own marigold, and all enjoyed popsicles at the end of the day. Thank you to all the teachers and volunteers who invested so much time and enthusiasm into creating a successful Garden Day for TCS students. There’s still a lot of work to do, but what a rewarding start to the gardening season! – Jen Thygesen, Farm to School Coordinator, Tunridge Elementary School, Tunbridge, VT
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