Tiny tots build community garden
"The plan was to develop a fruit and vegetable garden that could be used freely by the community," said co-principal Rose Lowry.
‘WEED to feed if you need.’ This is the inspiring slogan for the brand-new, sustainable community garden project created by the staff and Grade R pupils of the Ocean View Montessori School in Durban North.
What started as an ‘Adopt-a-Spot’ initiative in 2009 has blossomed into a flourishing fruit and vegetable garden. The project, conducted in conjunction with Varsity College, the parks department and Durban Solid Waste, was started as part of the school’s Eco-School projects.
Co-principals, Lucy Cronjé and Rose Lowry, radiated with pride when they recently told the Northglen News about the efforts of the Grade R pupils.
“They were involved from the beginning to the end. They helped the staff clear the verge of rubbish and alien plants and also spent some time planting indigenous plants and vegetables,” explained Cronjé.
Spinach, beetroot, Chinese cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, paw-paw, granadilla and citrus fruit are just some of the produce growing within the garden.
“The plan was to develop a fruit and vegetable garden that could be used freely by the community. In addition, we planned a nature trail and areas of sensory interest for the children to explore, including a grassland to attract birds. We intend to share our garden as an educational resource with other schools and environmental educators in the area,” said Lowry.
Going forward, the staff and pupils at the school will strive to maintain the garden while encouraging local residents and people working in the area to become involved.
“They can support the project by harvesting some of the produce and in turn either plant a new seed, weed the garden or even water the plants,” added Cronjé.
The municipality’s parks department assisted in the project by trimming the trees to allow more sunshine to illuminate the garden and building a compost heap. The department also donated bark chips to help with the garden’s aesthetics.
All of the items used in the creation of the garden were either donated to the school or recycled.
“All of the refuse collected during the clean-up was sorted and recycled. Seeds, stumps and other items were donated to us by the parents. This was an important aspect for us as we wanted to create awareness surrounding pollution and emphasise the importance of recycling,” said Cronjé.
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