Spring on the School Farm
Hello, farm friends! Here’s hoping you are enjoying all this lovely spring weather, soggy weekend notwithstanding. For the farm crew, it is such a balm to see the farm abundantly green, with flowers blooming, insects buzzing, birds nesting and singing, and bountiful harvests heading inside to become part of our nourishing school meals.
The transition from winter to spring requires slow and steady effort, and our students have been part of the process at every step. From creating our soil blend for trays in the greenhouse to sowing, managing, and incorporating cover crop in the beds, our young farmers know that the soil is where much of the magic happens. Students have sown seeds in trays and directly on-farm, transplanted their tender seedlings after many weeks of gentle care, and spread wheat straw mulch to aid in suppressing weeds and retaining moisture. A special shout-out full of gratitude goes out to our 8th graders, who fanned out across both campus farms at the end of March to upcycle and lay down copious amounts of cardboard for sheet mulching pathways, spread wood chips, and repaint numbers on raised beds. Not only did we get so much done, but it was a joy to have them on the farm one more time before they fly the ANCS farm nest.
We’re currently enjoying a sweet seasonal overlap: harvesting dozens of pounds of spring produce all while we sow and transplant crops for summer. Students are picking kale, collards, Swiss chard, lettuces, radishes, turnips, scallions, and herbs of all kinds, all while tucking our favorite summer plants into the turned soil–sweet peppers, eggplant, beans, yellow squash, and tomatoes. The next two weeks will see the addition of corn, melon, fall squash, okra, sweet potatoes, basil, and more flowers. Students have been snacking on strawberries and sugar snap peas straight from the plants (needless to say, those never make it to the cafeteria!), and we’re all counting down the days until our copious blueberries finally turn blue.
As summer is the busiest time of growth on the farm, please consider joining us for a family workday. We’ll be gathering in the mornings, before the heat of the day fully sets in, and working to tend and harvest crops for donation to local food distribution organizations. We also eat really well over the summer, so you’re sure to leave with a bag of farm produce for your family to enjoy! Visit here for more information and to sign up for a shift or two. We’re all so grateful for another wonderful year learning and growing with our students and school families.
Nichole Lupo
Nichole joined the ANCS faculty in the Fall of 2021 as the School Farm Specialist. Prior to coming to ANCS she worked at the Wylde Center as the Farm to School Manager, where she taught students in City Schools of Decatur in their garden classrooms, implemented two district-wide taste tests each year, and managed high school summer interns at farms, restaurants, and farmers markets around Decatur and Atlanta.
