Garden Spotlight: Tinmouth Elementary School

In honor of National Farm to School month, we would like to share this garden spotlight on the interactive garden at Tinmouth Elementary School and Community Center in Tinmouth, VT:

At the center of this small rural town, on the hillside behind the school and community center, lies the Tinmouth Elementary School Garden. Meadow Squire, the school’s garden coordinator, leads us through the garden and her season with the students, an exciting, exploratory space begins to take shape.  A row of cucumbers line a trellis, shaped and hollowed from behind in the likeness of a ship’s helm.  Peas crawl up one side of an 8-foot high metal wire “tunnel.”  Meadow points us to the front of the garden where several raised beds await their transformation into “snack bars,” soon to be planted with students’ favorite veggie snacks, including buttercrunch lettuce, carrots, and broccoli.  Perhaps her personal favorite section of the garden are the “mini-gardens,” 2×3 foot plots, where students can plant, grow, and experiment to their hearts content, with gentle guidance, but without any adults or other students stepping in to take over.

These features are at the heart of the philosophy of the Tinmouth Elementary School Garden—where students develop an appreciation for fresh food through exploration and ownership.  25 out of 50 of the school’s K-6^th graders will be attending this year’s summer garden camp, 2 days/week.  In addition to the summer program, Meadow leads groups of students in the garden in an afterschool program, and has high hopes for the garden to soon become an even more integral part of students’ everyday education.

Tinmouth Elementary School is one of VCGN’s seven Gardens For Learning sites.