A bountiful harvest isn’t the only reward

Community gardens are literally a ‘growing’ trend in Central Florida. In only a few years, thanks to the efforts of organizations that support garden programs alongside passionate volunteers, the Orlando area now boasts more than thirty community gardens. The concept of sustainable living is blossoming in neighborhoods and schools alike producing a wide-range of benefits for education, businesses, and charities, while fostering cohesiveness among communities and promoting the consumption of fresh foods!

“Festival Park Community Garden has 31 plots and participating families can harvest what they want,” says Meer. “Each plot can supply 10-20 pounds of produce per season, which could supply a family of four with much of their fresh food needs.” The garden was initially funded by Get Active Orlando and the University of Central Florida. At first, participants learned from each other and now pay nominal annual dues.

According to Meer, Get Active Orlando and the Simple Living Institute Inc., a grassroots volunteer organic living organization that she founded, also fund garden projects at worship centers, including the First Unitarian Church of Orlando, and schools such as Sunrise Elementary and Orlando Day Nursery. Some schools are even implementing gardens without start-up assistance and merely rely on volunteers eager to ‘plant the seed’.

Ten years ago, parent Brad Jones, an Orlando Firefighter, saw the potential to better utilize the campus grounds of Orlando Junior Academy (OJA), a Winter Park private school with 200 students. With small donations from local garden stores, his avocation slowly transformed dirt and grass patches into grounds that support vegetable, fruit tree, butterfly, and sunflower gardens, each providing abundant educational opportunities. “Seeds and soil are just a minimal cost. The schoolyard garden creates and sustains an environment where hands-on learning connects students with their environment,” says Jones. “It’s exciting to be a part of something different.”

OJA Vice Principal, Anna Adkins, reports that all teachers develop lesson plans that connect the garden to traditional studies. “For example, students can grow a watermelon and solve mathematical equations through its volume and circumference,” she notes. “In history class, our students get to harvest cotton and experience lessons pertaining to the cotton gin and American inventors.”

OJA’s produce and herbs are utilized during school cooking classes and in cafeteria meals, but are also incorporated into the dining experience of patrons at K Restaurant in College Park. “Most recently, I served fava beans and radishes from OJA,” says owner Chef Kevin Fonzo, who also volunteers his culinary expertise several times a week to educate the children on healthy eating. These gardening accomplishments helped OJA receive honors in the 2011 Florida School Garden Competition; as did Lake Como Elementary, an Orlando public school who donated over 150 pounds of produce to Second Harvest Food Bank thanks to the harvest produced by 11 exceptional education students. Teacher Alan Ellis says it all started with a single corn stalk in a flower pot and quickly expanded into a large courtyard filled with collard greens, berries, tomatoes, and more.

“These garden efforts are easily incorporated into academics. Plus, the kids love harvesting fresh strawberries for our special ice cream parties! I am pleasantly surprised when they are willing to try new vegetables, but, like most kids, they still resist eating our Brussels sprouts and asparagus,” says Ellis with a laugh, who was thankful to have obtained a Scott’s Miracle Grow grant to supplement the seed and soil donations from parents and staff. Ellis explains that the greatest success of the garden project has been an improvement in the self-confidence of his students who often struggle with self-esteem issues.

“Prior to this project, my exceptional education students were not engaged in our school community, and now they are branching out to teach other students about the garden,” Ellis adds.

Already fully integrated into the entire school, OJA’s next step is to launch a community garden on land just down the street from the school, with hopes of expanding this healthy and beneficial endeavor of sustainable living to neighborhood residents.

“The key to a successful garden, whether it’s in the community, school, or home, is to start small and choose self-watering grow blocks. Your only requirements are seeds, soil, and attention,” Meer advises. Visit www.GetActiveOrlando.com to access a seasonal planting chart, design guides, tips on starting a community garden, and information on funding sources. Click on “Resources” and then “Community Gardens” for a list of gardens in the area.