The Ripley Middle School garden was started at the end of the 2017-2018 school year. It was made possible by the Be More Garden grant from the UT Extension office. The grant was developed to promote healthy food choices in young people. There have been many steps that have been taken to get the garden up and going.
The first projects were put together with the help of Coach William Crawford’s Focus Friday (FF) group. The students began with building the indoor, bookshelf greenhouse. Coach Crawford used this time to teach teamwork, reading and following detailed instructions, and how to use a variety of tools. Coach Crawford guided the group but allowed them to make mistakes and learn from their mistakes. The indoor greenhouse will be in late winter and early spring to start the germination of seeds. Once the seeds have germinated and begin to grow, they will be transplanted into the raised beds in the garden.
The raised bed boxes were built by Coach Crawford, there are 10 total boxes of various sizes. Some of his FF group were taught to use a miter saw and the importance of safety while using power tools. Once the boxes were finished, they were filled with material donated by the Nutbush Gin Company. There are plans for adding to the garden to make it inviting to all students and staff. A rock walkway will allow students to move around and see the many types of plants growing. Coach Crawford also as plans to put in a ramp off of the sidewalk to allow students in wheelchairs access to the garden. Trees and various flowering plants will be planted to give the garden a colorful aesthetic. Coach Crawford plans on teaching other students how to use tool and power tools to build benches and a picnic table.
Coach Crawford, his wife, Sarah, and Ms. Rebecca Bridgewater planted many different types of vegetables including: spinach, kale, turnip greens, purple hull peas, green beans, radishes and gourds.
The goal of the RMS Garden is to teach young men and women how to grow and care for a garden, as well as, healthy food choices. We hope that students will develop the knowledge to plant their own gardens to help provide for their family. We also hope that we can give back to our community by providing healthy fruits and vegetable to families in need. In addition to these wonderful reasons, the garden will provide science teacher a hands-on way to teach parts of a flower and the plant processes and an opportunity for all teachers to have an outdoor classroom.