Gardens are a vital resource, especially for schoolchildren
On March 4, students of Norfolk’s Lindenwood Elementary after-school enrichment program gathered to plant an orchard on their school grounds. Fig, persimmons, apricot, plum and pears — the trees were planted in hopes of providing much-needed shade for the basketball court and to address issues with standing water. A bonus is that in time, they will provide free fruit to the students and the nearby community. Although the planting was months ago, in the current pandemic the value and lessons learned from the newly planted grove are just beginning to sink in.
Gardening with children has innumerable benefits. I’m a gardener who never wears gloves (and rarely wears shoes), so the first benefit that comes to mind is the immune system boost bestowed on us by the act of gardening. In addition to the fresh air and vitamin D, which are also immune-boosting, the soil microbes that gardeners regularly come into contact with in the soil have their own benefits. In particular Mycobacterium vaccae, a harmless soil bacterium, has been studied for years as a treatment for cancer, eczema, asthma, tuberculosis, as well as for depression and stress. It boosts immune system response by binding to receptors to reduce inflammation. It also incites serotonin production, directly affecting mood and learning.
A Psychology Today article highlighted the observations of Christopher Lowry, a neuroscientist who has been studying the mycobacterium. “Exposure clearly increases the ability of test animals to cope effectively with anxiety and stress,” Lowry said. This is a benefit of gardening during the pandemic that everyone could use, but school-aged children in particular.
Although I couldn’t find a current count, a study by L. Turner et al. in 2016 noted an increase in school gardens in the United States, jumping from 11% in 2007 to 31% in 2014, a trend that, hopefully, has continued. School gardens are an important resource, serving as an appendage to the classroom to support curriculums and boost students’ environmental awareness. And when edibility is involved, school gardens work overtime to teach children about where food comes from. According to a FoodCorps publication about school gardening, students given the opportunity for handson learning end up eating triple the amount of fruits and vegetables and have improved academic scores.
The success of any planting or school garden is dependent on the community coming together, a fact not lost on the Lindenwood community, which dispatched a handful of dedicated volunteers to help with the event. I spoke with Betty Baucom, a math specialist at Lindenwood, who spearheaded the planting project.
“My aim was to integrate learning opportunities during the instruction day pertaining to tree adoption, seasonal changes in fruiting trees and, of course, stewardship. But, this planting was a big collaboration,” Baucom said.
“We started working on this in November and this is a harbinger of the shoreline restoration anticipated next year, all along the Lindenwood and Barraud neighbor shores,” she said.
According to Baucom, the community made the project possible through the efforts of
Justin Schafer (city of Norfolk), Fleta Jackson (Keep Norfolk Beautiful), Sharon Barnes and Steve Dolly (Lindenwood Civic League) and administration at Lindenwood Elementary. “I was so proud of everyone’s willingness to create this opportunity,” Baucom said.
The new orchard at Lindenwood Elementary is finding sustainable solutions to address issues with stormwater, to provide shade for the schoolyard, habitat for wildlife and to provide fresh food for the student body and community. With food deserts being no stranger in Hampton Roads, orchards and all the benefits of school gardening seem more relevant than ever.
In Full Bloom is a weekly feature from Allissa Bunner that focuses on sustainable gardening, environmental stewardship and related community news and initiatives. Bunner is a Norfolk resident who is passionate about plants — especially natives — and enjoys growing things from seed. She can be reached at acbinfullbloom@gmail.com.