Article by Bella Buckner. Gardening club photos provided by Kristy Mondy.
Most afternoons, you can find Noah Baxter and Declan Buckner watering plants or harvesting vegetables on the playground.
The two sixth-graders are part of the new elementary gardening club at the Tulsa VLC.
Many students enjoy the club and learn great skills on how to keep plants alive. The club is growing tomatoes and kale, and they are also talking about growing strawberries.
Kristy Mondy, the leader of the gardening club, has worked hard with the students and taught them gardening techniques.
“You should water plants at the bottom and not the top,” Baxter said.
“You can’t water plants too much or they’ll die,” Buckner added.
The gardening club is teaching kids how to care for living things and about fruits and vegetables they can grow. It also teaches kids how to be responsible and follow a routine.
“The gardening club came about from Epic wanting to bring back the art of gardening and teaching kids about fruits and vegetables,” Mondy said.
One of the goals of the gardening club is to get enough supplies so students can take home fruits or vegetables in the summer to continue growing them at home.
With around 10 kids who are a part of it, they can’t wait to see how the club grows in the future.
“I think it would be fun for every school to have a gardening club,” Buckner said.
