By Nicole Maslanka and Ethan Delgado, 4th Grade Students, with support from Tina Wong, Sustainability Coach at National Wildlife Federation’s Greenpoint Eco-Schools Program
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 was a chilly afternoon – only 30 degrees! Even though it was so cold, we set up our farmer’s market during dismissal in our schoolyard, selling vegetables and herbs grown inside the Green STEM classroom. This will be the 3rd time this school year Ms. Marshall opened up the market. It only takes about 2 months for Ms. Marshall and her 3rd graders to bring in a new crop of classroom-grown, sustainable food.
Why do you sell what you grow?
The reason why our teacher, Ms. Marshall, sells plants is to fundraise to support our Green STEM class. Families come and choose what they want and donate any amount of money they want, even one dollar. Ms. Marshall uses this money to buy seeds, plant food (nutrients,) and whatever else she needs to run the lab.
Do you know how hydroponics work?
We don’t use soil! Plants are grown in rockwool, and the clay pellets help support it so they don’t tip over when they get really big. We have different types of hydroponic systems in the lab – the NFT which stands for Nutrient Film Technique, the Drip System, our Tower Garden where we grow our herbs,and the Dutch Bucket System where we grow our vine crops, like peppers and tomatoes.
This was our first time working at the farmer’s market. We never even been to one before so it was a new experience for us. There are many reasons why our vegetables are great.
- They are fresh because we just harvested it during last period
- Students help grow them and take care of them
- We don’t use pesticides – it’s something you spray on plants to keep bugs away. We don’t need it because the classroom is inside!
- The money we raise helps support the STEM lab
- And the most fun reason, we got to leave class early to help Ms. Marshall set up!!!!
“I really enjoyed working at the farmer’s market. We sold a bunch of plants. So many people supported us and purchased our vegetables. I learned how to sell stuff… to talk to people, to ask them to support our school. When parents, our customers, came and bought our vegetables and herbs, I helped put them in paper bags… maybe we can ask them to bring their own reusable bags next time.” -Nicole
“I was in charge telling people that the market was open in the Eckford street schoolyard. When I got to the table of vegetables, I showed people where everything was. I learned so much about the plants we grow – Kale, mint, lettuce and rainbow Swiss chard. It’s so cool that people get to eat and enjoy the plants that I’ve grown. I know so much more about the vegetables and will be able to teach others next time.” -Ethan
We had so much fun and can’t wait to do this again. Ms. Wong is also thinking about selling more things at our farmer’s market like school-made pies and jams! Yummy…
