Putney Central School Community Garden

The PCS garden was started around 1997 by Leon Cooper. The PHACT committee took over the garden project. One of the goals of the garden program was to enhance health and nutrition education.

In 2005 the garden project was awarded two grants: the first grant, through VEHI (the Vermont Education Health Initiative), allowed the school to pay a garden coordinator for the ’05 gardening season. The coordinator helped teachers to integrate the garden into their classroom, maintained thegarden over the summer and coordinated community garden activities. Rebecca Golden was hired as the Garden Coordinator from 2004 through 2005. During her time: Abe Noy-Hayes donated the Kiwi shrub, they planted the perennial herb mound, the garden shed was aquired, and they did the High Mowing seed sale for fund raising. Other community members and farmers donated to the garden.

The second grant was received through the Strolling of the Heifer Foundation and is providing funds for Walton’s 3-4 class to visit local farmers while studying about diversity in our local farming community. This grant is also supported the after school garden club. Thanks to the Strolling of the Heifer Foundation! 

There were summer gardening parties, an after school garden club, and in 2005 the school cafeteria started to use some food from the garden. A sunflower circle meeting space was designed and used not only by gardeners but the art and other classes who went into the garden. Only one class was involved the first year under Rebecca. The second year there were three or four who were integrating it into curriculum in some way. 

Hally Anderson became the coordinator for the 2006 and 2007 seasons funded in part by the LEHI grant as well as the PCS 1% Fund with grants written by Angela Walton. The asparagus, donated by Ian Gillespie, was planted in 2006. Hally decided to make raised beds and continued the large center circle in the garden for classes to meet. They bought the garden cart and made the shed sign from the VCGN mini-grant program. Community garden plots were added in 2006 with 5 plots being used. In 2007 the number increased to 8 plots.

Countless people have helped out the garden project. Over the years, The Putney School has made generous donations of manure, hay, tilling, and time — Pete Stickney and Margie from The Putney School helped, not to mention various Putney School students. The Putney School teacher of Environmental Studies came with some students and helped to build the wooden compost bins for the garden. 

The summer gardening cooking camp began in 2006 through Food Works — Gardens for Learning program — 1 day a week for 5 weeks for the first summer. They had garden-work parties throughout the summer to raise awareness and get work done. Hally worked with teachers in the classrooms, and several classes helped to plant and harvest the garden. Hally co-led the Naturalist Garden Club one spring and Tara Gordon continued the afterschool club 2007–2008 with increasing focus on the garden.

Tara Gordon managed the garden from 2007 on, afer funding and energy of the previous committee ran out.

In 2008 they doubled the size of the garden — both community plots and school garden space. Tara worked with the teachers and classrooms in spring 2008 building an increase in interest and involvement for the 2008 fall. A number of the classrooms helped plant the garden in the 2008 spring. The Gardening Cooking Camp was a blast in the summer of 2008 — 3 full weeks which a $2000.00 grant from Food Works — Gardens for Learning program was received. $350 from the VCGN mini grant program was used for signage. Garden work parties and potlucks throughout the summer and into the fall were hosted and well-attended.

2008, a number of classrooms went out to harvest the garden for classroom projects, as well as for the school kitchen. They have made salsa, pumpkin bread, etc. The kitchen put fresh greens, broccoli, radishes, cherry tomatoes, zucchini & summer squash in the salad bar. They also added produce to tomato sauces.

Mary Quinn who has a community plot started a food shelter plot in 2008 which has been very successful stocking both the Brattleboro and Putney food banks. Community Plot holders have been helping out in the school garden as payment for their space.