News
"From Seed To Need" - RCDS Kids collaborate with The Grove on organic garden
By Colin Foley
THE GROVE WEST in Shrewsbury has been the host of "From Seed to Need", an organic vegetable garden run by local students, most of whom attend Rumson Country Day School.
The variety of vegetables, herbs, and fruit are grown, harvested and sold entirely by the children, with master gardener, Danielle Boyle, supervising the operation.
Each Thursday, the kids begin working on the garden at 10 a.m. continuing until noon when they open their market to the public. According to Michelle Shea, director of marketing at the school, "The kids are involved in every aspect of the process, designing, building, planting, watering and airating the soil... etc."
Community Service is part of the core curriculum at RCDS, and the kids are rather enthusiastic about their involvement. "It's always win-win. You get to have a lot of fun and help the community at the same time." said Katie Clark, a 6th grader, who was all smiles on a recent Thursday morning.
Each week, 100 percent of the proceeds from the market are donated to a different charity. This past Thursday, earnings were donated to the Monmouth County SPCA, with previous harvests benefiting such charities as The Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties, Lunch Break, a local soup kitchen/ food pantry in Red Bank, and 180 - Turning Lives Around, an organization dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Along with the usual monetary donations, oftentimes donations of produce are made directly to local food pantries.
Anna Rita DiMeo, project coordinator for Metrovation, the company that owns and maintains The Grove shopping centers, oversees the project: "The garden has been pretty successful considering this is our first year. We've had a rather bountiful harvest, and I think it's a pretty unique concept." The effort has raised nearly $1,000 for local charities throughout the course of the summer.
The garden was planned and laid out to be aesthetically pleasing. Planters made from old oil drums and tires, which are painted and decorated by the students, complement the colors of the fruits and vegetables. The recent addition of a sitting area with benches and tables has drummed up some business, as local workers come to eat their lunch, enjoy the scenery, and the fresh air.
"The garden is 100 percent organic. There are no pesticides or chemicals used on the plants." says Master Gardener Danielle Boyle. With fall drawing near, this organic approach will carry on as recently planted trees begin to bear fruit and a new set of crops including carrots, potatoes, gourds, radishes, beets, leeks, and brocoli, are planted.
The next Organic Garden Market will take place on Sept. 2nd from noon to 2 p.m. at The Grove West, 540 Route 35 in Shrewsbury.
