School Garden Clubs: Hickory Ridge Middle School

We regularly emphasize that the school garden is a space where students can engage in all subject areas, not just an area for the science teachers, but you don’t have to take our word for it; just ask the students at Hickory Ridge Middle School in Harrisburg, NC. Doug interviewed art teacher, Lindsey Kiral, who co-advises the HRMS Garden Club with Health teacher, Brandi Morgan, to share with you how their club works.

Q: How long have you had a garden club?  

A: We installed the garden in the fall of 2022.

Q: When does the garden club meet? 

A: We meet once a week after school from 4:00-5:30. We will begin this year after Thanksgiving. Our first meetings will be to clean up the garden area of left over summer plants/weeds and ready the beds for spring planting. We also hope to establish and build some sort of compost system this year during the “down months” of November, December and January. We will begin sowing seeds indoors in January and planting Mid-February-March, then harvesting in April and May before the students leave for summer break. 

Q: Who gets to be in the garden club?

A: We welcome all!

Q: How do members join the garden club? 

A: Members fill out an interest form and come to an interest meeting where they are given parent permission forms, a schedule and rules and procedures for the club.

Q: How many club members are there? 

A: We had around 15 last year.

Q: How does the club use the garden? 

A: Last year was our first year as a club, so we spent a lot of time planning and building our raised beds in the fall. We started seeds in January and had an awesome spring garden of snap peas, lettuce, kohlrabi, kale, radish, spinach, carrots and broccoli. We also planted sweet potato slips last May and students were able to harvest them this past August when they returned to school. I would like to incorporate more fall crops moving forward so the Garden Club can meet more year-round.

Q: Is anyone else allowed to use the garden? 

A: We would love to see teachers and students utilize the garden and greenhouse spaces for learning! We are working on ways we can promote that this year and for years to come.

Q: What does the club do with the harvest? 

A: Garden club members enjoyed eating the vegetables they grew. They took some home and we shared some with teachers and staff within our school!

Q: Do you use volunteer groups? 

A: We did enjoy the help of a former Hickory Ridge parent who shared some of her expertise with us and lent a helping hand on multiple occasions. 

Q: Do you utilize fundraisers or sponsorships to support the garden? 

A: In our initial year, we received several significant donations to get our raised beds built. The concrete blocks were generously donated by Piedmont Block Co., Baucom’s Nursery donated the soil and other items, and we held a Donors Choose Campaign that was highly successful. 

Additionally, we held a spring plant sale and are currently holding one in the fall.

Q: What are the benefits of the garden club? 

A: I personally wanted to start the Garden Club after seeing a need for students to get outside more, connect with nature and disconnect from the screens that are so prominent in our lives these days. Also, middle school students are at a pivotal age where they want and need to be social but need more opportunities to collaborate and work in teams to hone those social skills. The Garden Club provides so many ways students can experience goal setting, problem solving, collaboration and responsibility. Lastly, it is a great way to get kids outside their comfort zone a little bit and try new things, hopefully leading to more diverse and nutritious eating habits. 

Q: Share any success stories or memorable experiences related to the garden club. 

A: Overall, the whole experience has been amazing! I was blown away by the generosity of our community and the enthusiasm of our students. We shared so many laughs and learned together along the way. One of my biggest takeaways is that you don’t have to be an expert to be successful with the Garden. You may have some ups and downs, but learning alongside the kids is what it’s all about.