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Helping Students Flourish

Tower Garden Learning at PCMS

By Sivetts, Jenna on November 14, 2023

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The Tower Garden opens the door to many learning opportunities in my classroom. This type of gardening uses an aeroponic system.  The watering system is on an automatic timer so throughout the school day you can enjoy the waterfall sound as our plants are nourished with the mineral water.  The lighting system is on an automatic timer also but they are usually running during non-school hours. 

School gardens teach students about the environment, how food is grown, and the importance of healthy eating.  The students are engaged in hands-on learning experiences that will hopefully stick with them as they grow into adulthood.  

The students and I started our seeds in early September.  We wanted to have a variety of plants and herbs so we planted oregano, dill, spearmint, rosemary, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes.  We were very excited when all of our seeds sprouted and were able to be transferred to the Tower Garden.  Sadly, the rosemary didn’t survive the transfer but allowed us the opportunity to problem-solve.  The cherry tomatoes picked up a fungus so they started to die off.  We are holding out hope on our one healthy cherry tomato plant that seems to be growing and doesn’t show any signs of fungus.  The rest of the seedlings survived the transfer and are thriving.  

Yesterday, we were able to pick our first round of sugar snap peas.  The students were able to pick and eat the raw peas.  The majority of our class thought the peas were delicious.  The cucumbers have many blooms and a few small cucumbers on the vine.  We are eagerly waiting for them to grow!