A primary purpose of the volunteer Master Gardener program is to educate the community about environmentally sound gardening practices. There is no better audience to teach the lessons of why and how to grow flowers and vegetables than children. The Dakota County Master Gardeners put this concept into practice by participating in four “school gardens.” In partnership with the schools, Master Gardeners teach children at Community of Saints School, Gideon Pond Elementary School, Pine Bend School Garden and Garlough Environmental Magnet School.

While each school garden program and process are somewhat different, in general, the mission of these gardens is to provide school-aged children with engaging education about growing produce. Here are their stories.

Community of Saints School Garden, West St. Paul

This small school garden is a powerhouse producer for a school in an under-served community. Master Gardeners partner with the school kids in the spring to plant over 25 types of crops including vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers. Summer program kids from pre-K through 5th grade are provided fun garden education and activities on a variety of [topics including water, weather, pollinators and mini beasts. They learn how to be gardeners and how much work it takes to water, weed and harvest the garden. By the end of the season, we have typically harvested 300+ lbs. of produce which is consumed by students, families and staff. We are currently looking for community partners to help with future projects and maintenance to continue our mission.

Garlough Environmental Magnet School Garden, West St. Paul

This garden is part of the school's magnet curriculum. It supports projects for different grades. For example, the third grade makes salsa with some of the produce; kinderdergartner/first graders plant and harvest potatoes to make fries. They also grow a Native American “three sisters” garden.

Master Gardeners helped to plan and supervise the planting of the garden at the school’s Environmental Explorers’ Fair in May. Students and their families helped to plant the garden along with Master Gardener volunteers. Teachers, staff, parents and students are thrilled with the garden project!

Pine Bend School Garden, Inver Grove Heights

The Pine Bend School Garden was established in 2018 with a Garden-in-a-Box grant from the Minnesota State Horticultural Society along with a donation from the school's PTSA. The mission of the garden is to create a beautiful, thriving school garden that provides students, teachers, and parents with the opportunity to connect with the natural world, grow and eat fresh produce, and expose them to a hands-on environmental education. 

There is an after-school garden club available to students in grades 3-5 two days a week in the spring and fall. They receive a short lesson about plants and best gardening practices created and delivered by Master Gardeners.  Then they work in the garden planting, maintaining, and harvesting. Parents and students sign up to take care of the garden throughout the summer. 

The garden is visible and open to all students and the public. The pollinator garden is next to the main entrance and many parents (and neighbors) have commented on how beautiful it is. It is also teeming with bees, butterflies, and birds. The vegetable/fruit garden is in the school courtyard next to the playground. All students walk by the garden to witness the growth and changes. Sometimes signs are created and installed to educate students. Garden club members help lead an all-school assembly in the spring on Earth Day. Produce has been shared with the school in the cafeteria. The garden started small and has grown over the years with the help of in-kinds donations and grants from several community businesses and nonprofits. 

Gideon Pond Elementary School, Burnsville

The Dakota County Master Gardeners have had a long partnership with the Gideon Pond Elementary School in Burnsville.  They helped build a garden on school property to provide hands-on education for PreK through 5th grade students about gardening and where their food comes from.  Our Master Gardener team teaches the students how to start seeds in the spring, and then how to transfer those seedlings to the garden in early summer. Our garden includes several different types of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers.

Summer school sessions include a 6-week curriculum (based on the U of MN Children’s Garden in Residence Program) with in-garden instruction on what plants need to thrive, how to deal with the Garden Villains (picking bugs, pulling weeds and deterring rodents/mammals), importance of pollinators and other “garden helper bugs”, purpose of fences, mulch and trellises, sensory evaluation of herbs, plant identification, and garden maintenance and harvesting.  This summer we added a class with Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE). Participants include children birth through 5-year olds and their parents.

The school is a joy to work with and the students are so excited to learn and participate in the entire gardening experience.  It is not uncommon to be greeted by the students with a “Hi Master!  Hi Master!”  It is a rewarding experience for all involved.   

Quote from the school liaisons: “Thank you so much! This has been such a fantastic and memorable experience for our (students). We appreciate all that you did to make it fun and educational- not always an easy task.”

And thank you to the schools, children and parents for making these gardens a “fantastic and memorable experience” for our Master Gardeners.

Photo credits: Deb Oldenburg (1,2), Kate Minor (3,4), Patricia McCabe (5,6), Mary Barnidge (7,8)