3 minute read
OUR DYNAMIC GARDEN: A Growing Season
In the midst of the joyous chatter of children and bustle of Charleston Day, there is a quiet space with benches and greenery for the contemplative spirit to rest and rejuvenate. Frequented by classes studying weather and plant cycles or creative children filling crannies with hand-made houses for fairies, the CDS garden is a favorite spot on campus for students, teachers and parents. Since its creation in 2016, the garden has evolved under the tender care of volunteer stewards into a practical yet aesthetic space with flowers for gazing and fruits, vegetables and herbs for our consumption.
Lower school science teacher Kate Brundrett is new to CDS but quickly becoming entrenched in the garden. In Alabama, she worked for a nonprofit that created gardens for Title I schools. The children there were involved with planting, harvesting and cooking lessons. Slowly but surely, Brundrett is bringing some of what she learned in Alabama to Charleston Day.
Advertisement
“We are very fortunate to have a dedicated team of parents that take care of the garden,” said Brundrett. This year, two parents of first graders have done much to enhance the garden, Kate Osmond and Vanessa Ryan. The team developed an overall vision for the year for ease and sustainability that includes planting herbs, pollinators and native plants along one side. There are lemon trees and blueberry bushes by the fence and four raised beds filled with soil, compost and new irrigation.
On the garden shed wall, there is a new blueprint for the growing season, so planters and harvesters can easily identify the crops. An insect house now hangs on the fence, making the garden more of a habitat.
“We’re located in the downtown Charleston area,” said Brundrett, “but still want this to be a place with pollinators and birds.” The native plants will help with this as well.
A new weather station hangs on the fence to track rainfall and temperature. Eventually, Brundrett plans to install an anemometer for determining wind speed, something the kindergarteners will study.
Perhaps most noticeable is a new hand-painted sign that reads, Dynamic Garden. It declares that the space is organic and uses no fertilizers or pesticides. The Charleston Day School garden is ever-changing and adaptable for various purposes. Teach a lesson on the weather, on insects or plant life cycles and seed dispersal. Explore ratios of neem oil to water or determine the overall area of the beds by measuring length and width. And what better way to teach a child to try new vegetables than to harvest them fresh from the garden?
Depending on the growing season, you may find sunflowers, fig trees or green peppers. Right now, rainbow chard grows alongside lettuces, ornamental cabbages and nasturtium. This spring, a group of fourth graders have chosen to plant two cultivars of watermelon, cucumbers, strawberries, beans and beets. And will the crops all make it? In this educational garden, success is in the eye of the beholder.
On any sunny day, you might find a group of eighth graders in the garden with their advisory teacher engaged in thoughtful discussion or an art class sketching en plein air. Make no mistake, there is more growth occurring in this beautiful green space than simply mint, cilantro, lavender and sage.
