OXFORD — Students at the Boxberry School are studying agriculture, biodiversity, planting and seed saving due to a grant received from the Maine Community Foundation (www.mainecf.org).

The kids in the Periwinkle room (grades three through five) are also making zines (free mini-magazines) to raise awareness and to give people information about gardening. Emmett Grover is making a zine about seed saving. Sophie List is creating one about biodiversity. Myles Barrett is working on a zine about worm composting.

All Boxberry students are attending the Norway Farmer’s Market, behind Fare Share Co-op, every week for three weeks on Thursdays. They are selling seeds and seedlings. Students will have a large selection of vegetable, herb and flower seedlings available.

The seed packets were hand-printed with linoleum blocks carved by students in grades three through five. Boxberry bought a bulk order of several varieties of heirloom and unique seeds from Fedco Seed Co. Students sorted and weighed out the seeds into their hand-printed packets. Students will also sell batik handmade garden flags and garden prints. Proceeds will benefit the school and help to keep the project running.

Students will plant many seeds and vegetable/flower seedlings at Carter’s Farm in Oxford. The plants will be harvested in late summer. Next fall students will use the techniques Scott Vlaun (of Moose Pond Arts & Ecology) showed them this past year for seed saving the vegetables and flowers they will harvest. Students plan to use the seeds for their garden project again next year.

For more information about the school, visit www.boxberryschool.org.

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