JAMESTOWN – Persell Middle School’s Produce Patch was recently filled with potential gardeners at their first Community Garden Event.
Persell’s Family and Community Engagement Committee partnered up with the Persell Produce Patch to hold the event in the school garden.
Teachers, Lina Scoma, Devyn Agett and Annika Putney helped spearhead the Produce Patch Garden.
“This is the third summer with our Produce Patch and each year we keep expanding and adding more things. It is completely run by Persell students including a Garden Club that meets once a week,” said Mrs. Putney. “We will be open in the summer on Mondays and Thursdays from 3 to 6 p.m. and we invite anyone to come over and help us pull some weeds and pick some vegetables. We are very excited about our garden and very passionate about what we are doing with the kids and community at our school.”
In addition to touring the garden, the event invited students and families from Persell, Lincoln and Fletcher Schools and the local community to visit three stations: Linnea Carlson from Jamestown Public Market conducting blind taste tests of fruits and vegetables and talking about their “Sprouts” summer program, Master Gardeners and “Garden Grandparents,” Jim Cowan and Janet Forbes, helped participants plant seeds, Mary Maxwell from Jamestown Renaissance Corp. read about the Three Sisters garden to go along with the food demo Molly Howell from Eat Smart New York was doing, which included two of the sisters, corn and beans.
The school wants to thank the many donors including: Brigotta’s, Mike’s Nursery, Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Audubon Community Nature Center and Biodome Project, who gave amazing door prizes for the event.