Excited chatter and giggles fill the room as a small group of middle schoolers file into the Land to Hand headquarters in Columbia Falls, Montana. It’s Wednesday afternoon- time for the Garden Club. Garden Club is an after school program offered by Land to Hand, a local non-profit that, in efforts to build a resilient food system, helps educate and involve kids in the process of gardening.
A student studies a seed packet before getting to work.
“It’s a way for kids to interact with food, and where it comes from,” says Education Coordinator Whitney Pratt.
“We want all kids to have this experience of soil to soil: soil, seed, start, plant, harvest, cook, eat, compost, soil. So we try to really go the whole circle.”
Today’s project is the very start of that process- the kids begin to don aprons and gather around a table where trays, buckets of soil, and seed packets are waiting to be tended to. The kids enthusiastically talk about what they grew in their family’s gardens last year, and what variety of cherry tomatoes they like best. Pratt quiets the rambunctious group and asks them why they might need to start seeds indoors anyway. Without missing a beat, a few chime in answers about the growing season and different needs for crops, as if they have a lifetime of gardening experience behind them. Some of the kids have been attending this weekly program for multiple years, and have no doubt amassed a healthy knowledge of gardening and food in the process.
A student carefully creates holes for seeds.
Now that the stage is set and the kids are eager to get to work, staff member Ellen Merring begins with instructions. Scoop some soil into the trays, poke holes in each space, sprinkle in the seeds. Go! Hands and soil fly as they get to work, giggling and teasing each other in the process. In record time the once empty trays are filled with soil and seeds, and once clean hands are turned black.
Students get busy spreading soil onto the seed trays.
As the last few seeds are sown, the group begins to wrap up by misting the trays with water and admiring their work. They’ll be able to follow these little seedlings through the whole process- potting them up as they grow, transplanting outdoors to the nearby Wildcat Garden come Spring, harvesting, and most importantly- eating.
This group is well on their way to becoming bonafide farmers- even appearing at markets in the past according to Pratt.
“This past year we went to one farmer’s market in Columbia Falls; they harvested everything, made their own price list, and sold it, which was super cool. And they earned a pizza party.”
A Land to Hand staff member gives seeds to student for sowing.
It’s clear to see the kids are having a blast being with each other getting their hands dirty. But the day’s activities are more far-reaching than just learning how to start seeds indoors; it’s an invitation to come together and take part in the local food system.
Students drop seeds into trays
Fostering an interest in gardening and participating in the food system at a hands-on level is just one of many ways Land to Hand is helping connect the community to local food. To learn more about programs and volunteering, visit www.landtohandmt.com.
