One of our favorite things to see is someone taking something old and making it into something new. When Huntington Beach Union High School District found 4 well-loved Cambro salad bars that weren’t currently being used, they were determined to find an alternative use for them. After the food and nutrition services department mentioned the salad bars to their local Cambro sales rep, she suggested an educational and inventive use for them: raised herb gardens.
They immediately loved the idea and set to work. HBUHSD has 14,500 students spread out between three cities: Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach and Westminster. They already have a grant-funded farm onsite at Westminster High School that grows a significant amount of produce for the OC Food Bank, but they wanted to do more.
“In doing the research on having school gardens, what’s great about it is that it grows so much deeper with the students’ culture of learning about food and where food comes from to the extent where it even branches out to parents. You can change the eating habits of parents if the kids eat differently at school,” said John Chiu, Food & Nutrition Services Administrator at HBUHSD.
HBUHSD partnered with UCI Master Gardeners to learn how to set up their herb gardens for success.
“Plants talk to each other. Things grow better when you put different types of species together because they don’t fight the same nutrients from the soil,” said Chiu.
“You may have seen some flowers there in the raised garden. There’s like a dozen different kinds of flowers that you can buy from like your local Lowe’s or Home Depot and they do different things, from keeping aphids away by dra
wing them into the flower specifically and keeping mosquitoes away.”
HBUHSD will incorporate the herbs into popular menu items. Basil will be used to finish margarita pizza and make chimichurri sauce, cilantro will be used as a topping for banh mi bowls, mint will add freshness to smoothies and peppers will be added to their homemade chili.
In addition to adding herbs to their menus, teachers have gotten inspired to incorporate the gardens into their curriculum.
Raised gardens offer several benefits compared to traditional in-ground gardening methods:
- Better Drainage: Raised gardens typically have improved drainage compared to traditional gardens. The elevated beds allow excess water to drain away more easily, preventing waterlogging and soil compaction. This ensures that plant roots have access to the oxygen they need for healthy growth and reduces the risk of root rot and other water-related issues.
- Improved Soil Quality: With raised gardens, you have greater control over the soil composition. You can easily amend the soil to create the ideal growing environment for your plants. This means you can tailor the soil’s pH, nutrient levels and texture to suit the specific needs of the plants you’re growing. Additionally, raised beds tend to contain higher-quality soil since they’re filled with fresh, nutrient-rich material rather than the existing ground soil, which may be depleted or compacted.
- Easier Maintenance: Raised gardens are typically easier to maintain than traditional gardens. The elevated beds reduce the need for bending or kneeling, making tasks like planting, weeding, watering and harvesting more accessible and comfortable. Additionally, raised beds can help deter pests like slugs and snails and make it easier to spot and remove weeds before they become a problem.
- Extended Growing Season: Raised gardens can warm up faster in the spring, allowing you to start planting earlier in the season. The soil in raised beds tends to heat up more quickly and retains warmth better than ground-level soil. This can give you a head start on the growing season and allow you to grow crops that might not thrive in your climate otherwise. Additionally, you can extend the growing season into the fall by covering the beds with row covers or cold frames to protect plants from frost.
- Enhanced Accessibility: Raised gardens are ideal for people with mobility issues or disabilities since they can be built at a height that’s comfortable to reach without stooping or bending. This accessibility makes gardening more inclusive and enjoyable for people of all ages and physical abilities.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ADRIANA DESIDERIO IS THE DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER AT CAMBRO.
