Raised Beds
Our raised beds are two years old. The beds were donated to us by a company called Thermo-Fisher Scientific that is right here on Grand Island. Volunteers came in and worked with the fifth graders to build the beds. This year we planted strawberries, garlic, potatoes, peppers, flowers, lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, beets, squash and spinach. Fourth grade classes collected bean seeds from last year, and they are trying to regrow them. Mrs. McDonald’s class plants beans, corn and squash (known as the three sisters) every year, which is an Iroquois Indian tradition. Then in the fall, they harvest the crops, cook them and have a feast!
It is very important to rotate the crops every year so that the soil does not get depleted of nutrients used by one type of plant. All of our crops are organically grown, which means no chemicals are used on the plants.
Our raised beds have flowers planted in them to help attract pollinators so these insects can pollinate our crops. Once pollinated, the plants can produce the fruits and vegetables we love to eat!
Our raised beds are two years old. The beds were donated to us by a company called Thermo-Fisher Scientific that is right here on Grand Island. Volunteers came in and worked with the fifth graders to build the beds. This year we planted strawberries, garlic, potatoes, peppers, flowers, lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, beets, squash and spinach. Fourth grade classes collected bean seeds from last year, and they are trying to regrow them. Mrs. McDonald’s class plants beans, corn and squash (known as the three sisters) every year, which is an Iroquois Indian tradition. Then in the fall, they harvest the crops, cook them and have a feast!
It is very important to rotate the crops every year so that the soil does not get depleted of nutrients used by one type of plant. All of our crops are organically grown, which means no chemicals are used on the plants.
Our raised beds have flowers planted in them to help attract pollinators so these insects can pollinate our crops. Once pollinated, the plants can produce the fruits and vegetables we love to eat!
What kinds of crops can you find in the raised beds?