FARMINGTON – A powerful story of immigrants bonded together by a community garden prompted students at Cascade Brook School to start their own garden beds.

Sharing how garden and greenhouse projects can enrich a school curriculum was the intent of a telecasted workshop Wednesday that brought teachers and parents together from four areas. Participants gathered on a chilly November day at Mt. Blue High School, Mountain Valley High School in Mexico, Skowhegan Area High School and Nokomis High School in Newport to discuss school gardening projects and how students can learn from the experience.

Sponsored by Western Mountains Alliance, the workshop was held because there was interest in school greenhouse projects generated through the Eat Smart, Eat Local program, said Tanya Swain, executive director. That’s a program that encourages eating and using more good foods grown locally.

After reading “SeedFolks” by Paul Fleischman 10 years ago, students reacted by saying “we can do this – let’s have our own garden,” said Patricia Flint, a workshop presenter from Cascade Brook School.

Ten raised beds were created, seedlings planted in the library and students started researching vegetable choices for the beds. In the early years, she said, a variety of veggies and flowers were planted but they have since chosen plants that mature closer to the start of the school year.

Students have used their produce to cook some meal items, Flint said, but the gardens were intended to be demonstrations or learning labs rather than for producing food. An abundance of produce some years has been donated to local food pantries, she said.

While the garden work can fit easily into science and math curriculums, she added, they can also be incorporated into other subjects: Sunflowers were planted for the art class to use for drawings.

A school garden for Athens Elementary has increased the number of home gardens, said Principal Scott Mitchell, another workshop presenter. Started four years ago, a survey was conducted for residents of the small town located north of Skowhegan. Approximately 18 percent of the students grew their own garden then. After creating a school garden and a “how to” booklet, the percentage has risen to 30 percent, he said. The school kitchen staff uses the vegetables in the fall and the gardens have been incorporated into science and math studies.

The stumbling block, he said, was finding time for the project. For Cascade Brook, water and weeding issues during the summer months are the challenge.

An organic farmer from Mt. Vernon, John Pino, the third presenter, offered tips to help overcome the obstacles. A dark plastic mulch cover over the garden with small holes for each plant eliminates a lot of weeding, he said. The cover was an initial investment but has proved to be be a major time-saver.

Drip tubing laid down before the mulch seeps water slowly to the plants and can be hooked to a timer, eliminating the need for someone to physically water the garden during the summer.