For the past six weeks teachers Karina Herrera and Carol Perez have steadily begun re-vitalizing the Hernandez Garden Program, planting a garden in raised beds found in a courtyard at the center of our school.
With this garden, Herrera and Perez hope to instill a love of nature in their classes, while additionally producing healthy vegetables for use in our school and community. The garden can also serve as a place for all nature lovers at the Hernandez to gather, perhaps someday as an outdoor classroom to create experiential learning opportunities for our students.
The project began with Herrera and her class removing trash and weeds that had encroached upon the space, making it looked distinctly dis-used and removing much-needed nutrients from previously planted vegetables.
After removing the weeds, students helped plant a rosebush, basil, and a variety of other herbs and flowers in the garden. They planted vegetable seeds in black plastic containers, eventually transplanting them into the main raised beds with Herrera’s help.
Future plans for the garden include repainting the planters, acquiring benches, and adding pops of gold paint to cracks in the pavement of the courtyard. Come spring, the students will harvest the crop they started in the fall, and plant an even more diverse array of vegetables the community can utilize in the summer.