It’s “thyme” to start gardening… again for the Placitas Elementary School (PES). After a long break from budget setbacks and a pandemic, PES is bringing back its popular gardening program. The program was started by Principal Joseph Lepre back in 2015, who understood that some parents couldn’t pick up their children right when school ended.
The school had already offered many after-school programs including chess and sports. However, Lepre thought of a garden program to help teach students about botany. The program was originally open to 4th-5th graders, nicknamed the Caterpillars, to have a day during the week after school that allowed garden-related activities and work sessions during the school year.
When the program first started, the garden was maintained by the school’s janitor, James Tellez, during the summer months. During the school year, the Caterpillars and teachers’ aides maintained the garden. The program would meet indoors during the cold months and students would still be able to learn about gardening while doing some fun activities.
Then, the school lost funding for teacher aides, so the teachers and some Sandoval Extension Master Gardener volunteers started to help maintain the garden. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and some other setbacks, the program shut down.
The garden program is now being rebooted, with hopes of staying active for many years to come. Four Sandoval Extension Master Gardeners are currently running the program; Sandra Liakus, Pat Wright, Donna Popp, and Rachel Goshey.
On March 20, Liakus, Wright, and Popp had their first day back in the PES garden with kids from all different age groups. They also received some help on the first day from three students and one teacher from Bernalillo High School. The group all spent the day cleaning up leaves from the garden and getting them into their compost piles, and planting seedlings.
Liakus, Wright, and Popp originally joined the Sandoval Extension Master Gardeners program when they moved to New Mexico from different places across the U.S. and wanted to learn what to plant and grow here in the southwest.
“I wanted to learn more about the maintenance care of native plants in New Mexico and how to better care for them. You know, the right type of watering because the climate is so different here compared to Illinois,” said Popp.
The Master Gardeners have a lot of goals for the future of the garden to be able to get it back to what it once was. “We’re looking forward to working with the students through early June and by the time the students come back, it’s harvest time,” said Liasuk.
The three also hope to teach the kids some gardening-related skills so hopefully, all the kids will find their green thumb but they also hope to expand on the types of plants, fruits, and vegetables they plant in the garden. “We’re trying to expand the tastes of the children too,” said Liasuk.
The program is currently being held every Wednesday after school and currently has all age groups involved. Organizers hope to get more parents involved as volunteers to make sure that every child is having their needs met during the program.
To get involved with the Sandoval Extension Master Gardeners, visit sandovalmastergardeners.org