2019 Nihi Hokchi Edible Schoolyard
Digging the right size hole, dropping the correct amount of seeds, and patting a blanket of dirt to create a mound. Step by step, little veterans of past Nihi Hokchi (to plant seeds) Edible Schoolyard programs showed off their knowledge as they planted their raised beds at the Choctaw Nation Durant Child Development Center.
Now in its third year, the program allowed these experienced students to instruct the younger ones on how to grow their own food. The children were confident as they planted or transplanted squash, lettuce, zucchini, beans, and tomatoes. As lovers of fruit, the children eagerly planted strawberries, watermelon, blackberries, and figs.
In addition to the Chahta Foundation and daycare staff, parents came alongside the children and helped with the planting. They witnessed the impact of the program firsthand.
“The children clearly remembered the process and that you put a certain number of seeds or plants in each area,” Martha Lowery says. She is the Program Specialist at the Chahta Foundation and is heading up the 2019 Nihi Hokchi Edible Schoolyard. “They also knew that after the plants and seeds were tucked in, they needed to be given a drink of water. The students were able to articulate their favorite and least fruits and veggies — broccoli remains a big ‘no’ — and they knew that some bugs are good for gardens and some aren’t.”
Our goal with the annual garden is to show these children where their food comes from — how it grows and ultimately, how it gets on their dinner table.
Along with nutritious fruits and vegetables, the children added marigolds to help ward off unwanted insects, and ornamental flowers like heat-hardy lantana and dianthus.
Heat is always a battle with the garden, and we took lessons learned from last year and applied new techniques. We added moveable, sail-shaped shades to protect the raised beds during the hotter months.
“We moved the raised beds to the shaded canopy area in the soccer field where the Edible Schoolyard is set up, and that will be favorable for the plants as well as the gardeners!” Martha says. “We bought sun hats, gloves, and hand tools for the grown-ups that will be out there maintaining the garden with the students.”
Near the end of launch day, students gathered around Chahta Foundation administrative assistant Tesia Rose for Circle Time. She read “If You Plant A Seed” to them. The children’s book simplifies the process of planting seeds and germination, and also of how we reap what we sow. We look forward to these little ones doing so with their garden.
Health is one of our initiatives at the Chahta Foundation, and we’re grateful to partner with the daycare and volunteers to help these students take their first steps to growing their own healthy foods someday.
Credit: Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer
