Vegetables are not the only thing growing at the Dolores school garden this summer. Kids are expanding their knowledge of gardening, thanks to the Montezuma School to Farm Project family volunteer days.
"We do a lot of different tasks," said Megan Talmadge, an organizer of the garden in Dolores. Kids get a healthy dose of hands-on learning. They get their hands dirty weeding in garden boxes. Cheerful and colorful hand-painted signs mark the names of each crop. They can plant, water, or help harvest produce. There are benches to rest on and lots of shade.
The garden is full of greens such as spinach, lettuce, kale, and chard. There's also a variety of herbs in season. "We've harvested a lot of peas, snap peas, strawberries, onions; we are just about ready to harvest garlic," said Talmadge. "Our next round will be a lot of the summer crops." July will bring tomatoes and cucumbers.
Volunteers are welcome to take home a sample of the produce they are helping grow. Some of the food is taken to the Dolores Library, where it is given to kids receiving a free lunch from the collaboration between the library and the Piñon Project. "We don't quite have enough supply for distribution but we have enough for them to eat for lunch," acknowledged Talmadge. The rest will go to the Pinon Project, who are taking part in the BackPack Program.
The Dolores family volunteer days take place every Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.