CANORA - In a practical and ongoing way of learning by doing, the student garden had another successful year in 2023 according to Derek Serdachny, Canora Composite School vice-principal.
“This year we planted a large portion of beets, corn, potatoes, and tomatoes,” said Serdachny. “We also planted some cantaloupe, pumpkins, carrots, onions, cucumbers, zucchini, and an assortment of herbs. We raised a little over $1,000 for our garden program. In addition, our left-over produce was given to the Canora Food Bank.”
The majority of the garden produce was sold by CCS students and staff at the school Farmers’ market on Sept. 14. “This year the Grade 8 and 9 students played a role in planning and selling,” he said. “Furthermore, Rainbow Hall let us set up and sell some of our produce the following week. I would like to say a special thank you to Danny Rakochy and Cora Tibbett. Danny rototills our garden and gets it ready for us every year. Cora always hooks us up with amazing seeds and vegetables from the Canora Greenhouse. Their generosity is greatly appreciated.”
Serdachny explained that the goal of the school garden project is to teach students about gardening and provide them with skills they can use both now and in the future after they leave CCS. “Once our kitchen is completed, students will utilize the food they grow in Food Studies and PAA (Practical Applied Arts) courses. This will give them a better understanding of the work that goes into growing produce and then processing it. The farm to fork idea focuses on sustainability and high-quality nutritious food for our students.”
This year’s garden was planted on June 9 by Grade 4 students from Canora Junior Elementary School along with CCS students from Grade 5 to 11. Students Heidi Mentanko and Chase Curtis maintained the garden over the summer, and were paid an honorarium for their work. “Their parents even came out to help. Teachers Leona Kitchen and myself also helped weed and water the garden over the summer,” said Serdachny.
He said the three-year old garden project has produced excellent yields in all three years so far. “This year our beets and corn produced very well. We had some potatoes, carrots, and onions disappear this summer, but other than that we had an excellent crop.”
As the project continues, from year to year they have found ways to adapt to the growing conditions and learn from previous experiences. “We tend to try and water the garden as much as possible in June and then rely on the rain later in the summer,” said Serdachny. “Watering bans in Canora are becoming more frequent. We have also purchased and will be installing signs emphasizing that the garden is not a community garden. Although we know people are struggling to make ends meet, we do try to use our garden for the benefit of our students. I think it is important for people to understand that the students sell this produce to ensure we can buy seeds, plants and other supplies for the garden. Additionally, funds are used to purchase new trees for our orchard and kitchen supplies.”
As mentioned earlier, the garden produce will help subsidize the CCS food program. “We should be able to save significant cost in our kitchen by processing and freezing some of our foods to use throughout the year. This will benefit our snack and lunch program and our classes that are learning how to cook. We may look at planting crops that align with our food program. We need to ensure vegetables will keep or can be used before they spoil. This will take some planning and practice.”
One of the main goals of the garden program is to give students a first-hand appreciation for agriculture. “Students learn about the different types of vegetables and the work it takes to grow and prepare the food we see on our table at home,” said Serdachny. “Students get to see into the world of soil health, insect pressure, disease, drought, and rodents. Farming is not easy and we have had some crop failures over the years. Every year we work on trying to improve our planting techniques. We learning how deep to plant certain vegetables, how to make straight rows, and crop rotation. Some students struggle with identifying certain plants. Our hope is that students take this knowledge and use it at home in their own garden. At the very least, they realize the hard work and knowledge that is required to be a successful farmer and that food doesn’t magically show up on the shelves at the grocery store.”
Staff members are always looking at ways to improve the garden, including welcoming ideas and expertise from various members of the community. In an effort to make it possible to grow produce all year long, they are looking at creating a hydroponics program (the process of growing plants in sand, gravel, or liquid, with added nutrients but without soil). “We will be asking the community to help with this endeavor,” said Serdachny “Our SCC is organizing a spring supper that will help raise money for this program along with other fundraisers. Our new kitchen comes with a large cost, and we will ask Canora community members to support the initiatives our staff have undertaken for students and buy tickets for any events we host.”
Already planning ahead for the 2024 garden, they are looking at the possibility of having local experts come into the school and teaching students how to prepare and preserve food. “If people are interested in teaching students how to make perogies, bannock, or any other dishes we would love to have their knowledge passed down to our students. Canora is full of many vibrant cultures and food brings everyone together. I hope that our students can learn how to prepare a variety of dishes from places all around the world,” said Serdachny.
He said the garden project has had a noticeable effect on students since first one was planted in the spring of 2021. “Students get the satisfaction of seeing something they worked hard at planting in the spring, then change and flourish over the summer. I think it adds an element to our school that other schools don’t have. Students are able to learn through experiential learning and be active outside. Holistic health is improved when people get fresh air and spend some time outside, eat healthy, and work together to achieve something. The garden checks off many of those boxes.”
Serdachny expects the produce from the CCS garden will continue to be sold in future years, but eventually it looks like there may be less produce to sell. “Our Food Studies and PAA courses will try and utilize as much of the produce as possible in our kitchen. This will hopefully reduce the amount of money we need to spend on groceries. We do need to look at a cold storage option for potatoes in the future, as well as hydroponics. This will ensure we can produce fresh produce throughout the year, which can help provide student with grown, healthy food options during the winter.”
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