2 minute read
Gardening at Maxfield
Megan Phinney teaches Maxfield Elementary students how to garden.
By Nasir and Talycia
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Megan Phinney loves to be outside working in the dirt and getting her hands in the smooth soil.
She also loves to eat the
fresh fruits and vegetables grown from the baby plants she has planted with her own hands.
“When I get my hands in the dirt, it just feels calming to me,” Ms. Phinney said. “I love flowers and food. We can
grow some really good food here in Minnesota.”
She is passing on her passion for gardening to Maxfield Elementary by teaching students how to garden. She has helped Maxfield students plant flowers, fruits and vegetables such as okra, carrots and tomatoes.
Ms. Phinney gardens at Maxfield Elementary in the spring. She teaches students between second
and fifth grade. The garden is in the front of Maxfield, and everybody can see the wonderful colors of the
plants. Vegetables and fruits grow in ten boxes of dirt.
Maxfield students, Nasir and Talycia, explore the garden with Megan Phinney. | Photo by Callie Chase
Ms. Greenwald teaches
science at Maxfield and
works with Ms. Phinney. Ms. Greenwald teaches students
about plant biology. In the spring, after the seeds are planted, Ms. Greenwald puts them under lights so that they grow. When the plants grow big, they get planted outside.
In the winter, Ms. Phinney and the students use paper and pencil to write things down to organize the garden and figure out what they want to plant. “And then we
use shovels, rakes, gloves, bags to carry weeds to the yard waste site which mixes it into compost,” Ms. Phinney said.
Compost is mixing plants, vegetables and fruits and having them biodegrade into fertilizer.
Sometimes gardening can go wrong, Ms. Phinney says. One summer, she led some students to plant lots of lettuce in a nearby community garden. Then she came back the next day to find out that the lettuce
was gone. “And the rabbits had eaten everything,” Ms. Phinney said. “‘Those darn rabbits.’”
Ms. Phinney appreciates gardening because it produces fruits, vegetables and flowers. She also enjoys nature. “I think it’s really important because I believe we need to care for the
earth, along with caring for ourselves with good, healthy food,” Ms. Phinney said.
Edited by Callie Chase
Talycia
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SINGER?
Cardi B
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO ON A RAINY DAY?
Sleep
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO AT RECESS?
Running
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BREAKFAST FOOD?
Bacon, extra crispy, with syrup on it and pancakes
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE TYPES OF SHOES?
Jordans, Vans and Adidas
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY?
Halloween
Nasir
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SINGER?
M&M
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO ON A RAINY DAY?
Stay inside and watch Stranger Things on TV
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO AT RECESS?
Play tag
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BREAKFAST FOOD?
French toast that my sister makes
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE TYPES OF SHOES?
Jordans
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY?
The 4th of July
Above: Maxfield students, Nasir and Talycia, interview gardener Megan Finney about gardening at Maxfield Elementary School.
Megan Phinney, local land connector and gardener, shows plants to Maxfield student Nasir.
Right: Megan Phinney, local land connector and gardener, shows plants to Maxfield student Nasir.
