Ford kids enjoy green thumbs

LYNN – It has only been a few months since the International Community Garden opened on a bed of hot top at the Ford Elementary School, but the hard work of many has already paid off with some award-winning produce.Despite a late start to this summer’s harvest, and the challenge of sprouting life from old, cracking blacktop, the Ford School won first place for its cucumbers in the junior vegetables division at the Topsfield Fair last weekend.The school also won second prize for its carrots and beets, third prize for its peppers and honorable mention for its basil, eggplant and lettuce.”Not too shabby for a bunch of Lynn people growing a garden on some hot top,” said Ford Principal Clare Crane. “This is good for the neighborhood and it’s good for Lynn.”The International Community Garden was the brainchild of many in the neighborhood, at the school and within the Highlands Coalition, designed to bring an otherwise rough neighborhood together and educate the students at the school.With the help of many volunteers, the gardens were planted on a slab of hot top next to the school, the first seeds hitting the soil in July, about two months later than most gardeners prefer to plant.The crops began to thrive under the care of students and volunteers, inspiring cook Marion Mininger and Chief Lunch Aid Cheri Judge to ask Crane if they could bring some of the crop to the Topsfield Fair.”We were checking the garden one day and the basil was just huge,” said Mininger. “So we asked Ms. Crane if we could enter it in the Topsfield Fair, and she said ‘why not.'”Fourth-graders Ryan Murray and Shareena Dormevil, along with second-grader Olivia Whitcomb, represented the school in the contest where veggies were judged on size, color, quality and uniformity.”Not too bad since we started the garden in July – most people like to plant around Memorial Day,” said Mininger. “Hopefully next year we can enter a lot more vegetables.”Students say they are happy to have a garden in the school and like to come out and tend to it, but the award-winners are not offering too much insight in to their growing secret.”We just put the seeds between our fingers and dug three or four holes,” said Murray. “Then we just put the seeds in the holes.”By all accounts, the garden has been a success. Every grade ties the garden into its curriculum, teaching students about the science of growing and the importance of eating healthy foods.After school, students volunteer to plant and weed the garden, which also receives care from neighborhood volunteers throughout the day.Perhaps most importantly for garden organizers, it is already beginning to generate interest in the neighborhood, where residents frequent the school to purchase produce and help plant.”Even in the neighborhood a number of people have come up to buy things, it has generated a lot of interest,” said Crane. “It has really taken on a new identity in the neighborhood.”Crane says the next step is to secure funding for a greenhouse, and her eventual dream is to create an organic kitchen at the school.