North Bay Opens New Student Garden
North Bay Create teacher John Collins cut the ribbon today for their new student garden - a project that he has been working on for over a year! North Bay has used a groundbreaking design to create their first ever school garden. They partnered with local Master Gardeners and the MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center to create a garden design especially for elementary age students. The main goal of the garden is to introduce the art of small plot gardening. Teachers can bring their students into the garden and use it as a teaching tool. One of our contributors, Whole Foods Corporation, has provided
lesson plans designed for gardening at each grade level. The garden project can also open a
discussion about nutrition and foods grown in the garden. The students will be able to grow,
harvest and consume the produce. Produce will also be shared and donated to local food
pantries and shelters thus teaching the students the importance of working to help others who
are in need.
The vegetables are grown on veggie-tables raised to a height so that the students will not have
to bend over to harvest the produce. The veggie-tables are connected to an irrigation system.
Each classroom has their own table and the students can make the decision what to grow. The
garden is designed to take advantage of the three growing seasons on the Gulf Coast. At the
end of each season the plants will be pulled up and the new plans such as fall and winter
varieties will be planted in the tables. The garden also includes blueberry bushes and dwarf
citrus trees. The garden is enclosed by a fence and includes six covered picnic tables with water
outlets to clean produce and hands. One side of the fence is lined with cut flowers, daylilies
and gerber daisies.
A school student garden club has been established so that over the summer students will be
able to assist in maintaining the garden.
The garden project was made possible by grants and donations from the following: Whole Kids
Foundation, North Bay PTO, Biloxi First, MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center, Hancock
Bank, Carson Cutters and Irrigation, Rain Bird, Pine Belt Master Gardeners, The Partnership for
a Healthy Mississippi, and First Baptist Church of Biloxi.