Seed Sewing and Planting?... School gardens are popping up all over Winnebago County!

          Spring is FINALLY here and summer is fast approaching. Not too long ago the ground was frozen and now it is teeming with dandelions. As the school year winds down, we are spending as much time as possible getting students involved with school gardens. Winnebago County Farm2School is partnering with Growing Oshkosh to coordinate gardens at four Oshkosh elementary schools. Two schools, Emmeline Cook and Webster Stanley, had raised beds installed last year. The other two sites, Merrill and Washington Elementary, are this year. A couple of weeks ago students sewed seeds (meaning they planted seeds in small trays) which they are currently tending to in their classroom. They are watching their seeds turn into delicate little plants and in a week or two they will be transplanting their “class pets” into the ground outside. Over the summer Growing Oshkosh will be hosting volunteer garden days at each of the schools so that community members can learn how to garden and harvest the rewards.

Below are pictures from our most recent seed sewing events at Washington and Emmeline Cook:

Why are school gardens important? 

Besides the fact that school gardens are a beneficial use of school lawns; they also cultivate strong social relationships among students and serve as an outdoor learning classroom. Core curriculum subjects like math, science and social studies can be used to measure plant heights, learn about plant parts, and talk about where foods originated from. Students are able to taste fresh food, make healthier choices, and get a little physical activity during the day. Children are more likely to eat food that they plant and harvest. This is significant because 88.4% of Wisconsin adolescents surveyed eat less than the recommended amounts of vegetables (CDC, 2010). We hope that these school gardens will promote the knowledge, attitude, and consumption of fruits and vegetables for our youth.


Are you interested in getting more involved with existing Winnebago County School Gardens? Do you know a school that would be interested in developing one? If so, please contact Sabina Bastias at sbastias@co.winnebago.wi.us.

Another great resource to get plugged in on a statewide level is the Wisconsin School Garden Initiative.