The lush La Honda School garden
by craig eddy
Upon entering the La Honda School garden I saw a sudden brown streak racing from under the cucumbers and down one of the pathways. In hot pursuit was Scooter a Corgie with short little legs going faster than I would have thought possible. The cute little bunny was not in any danger but when it comes to vegetable gardens there are no ‘cute’ pests. It was a good laugh though.
It has been several years since I visited the school garden. I was blown away by the changes. When Principal Kristen Lindstrom applied for the job, one of her main goals was to revamp the garden and turn it into an outdoor classroom for both school kids and interested adults. Gardener Daniela Liniger is fairly new to the position but with grant money and volunteer help things have really taken shape. Daniela hopes that it becomes even more of a community project.
Each spring they are always looking for extra seedlings and gardening materials the community gardeners might have. I give them a lot of my extra starts as I always begin with more than I can use in case of gardening disasters. It’s hard for them to start from seeds so consider donating starts in the spring as things get going.
A 2007 grant from Recycleworks in San Mateo helped with the expansion of the garden including a chicken coop and a critter proof fence surrounding the area. Whole Foods gave a grant to install a drip irrigation system which cuts down on the need to water as much. The kids love having class in the garden where they spend a little time learning about the process and then they put in some time working the garden. Strangely the strawberries seem to keep disappearing from their bed. Occasionally there are guest master gardeners that come in and give classes on composting, companion planting etc. Now and then when there is a surplus of produce they will have a small farmer’s market at the school to help raise money. If you see a sign on Highway 84 saying Farmers Market, head on up to the school and see what they have! The next project on the list is a shade structure for the seating area where classes are held.
To see the garden and share in the bounty, the school is putting on its annual Harvest Dinner on September 13th in the La Honda Gardens. It is a high end affair with live music, raffles, and a silent auction. There is a garden tour included at 3:30. Much of the veggies at the dinner will be from the garden. The band Zanzibar will be performing their Latin dance music and if you saw them at the La Honda Fair you’ll know to wear something danceable. Info on tickets at Lahondaschools.org or call 650 879-2152. Proceeds from the Harvest dinner go to funding the garden program. If you would like to tour the garden and meet with Daniela with offers of help or donations please go through the school office at 747-0051 and ask for Angie.
When asked what does your garden need most, the list included money, volunteers, seedlings, and manure. Come on… how often do people beg you to give them s..t?
Kristen and Daniela in the garden
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