By Sarah Opdahl

New Fairfield Elementary School (NFES) students will be pleased to return and see that their garden, located in the courtyard behind the school, is in full harvest. Planted and maintained last year by the NFES Garden Club and Ecology Club members in 4th and 5th grade, the garden boasts a plethora of fruits and vegetables, such as pumpkins, tomatoes, onions, eggplant, and peppers, plus lovely flowers.

Club advisor Barbara Strashun was grateful to hand over the garden’s care to New Fairfield’s William Keenan, who attends the Shepaug High School Agriscience Program. William took care of every aspect of the garden this summer for his Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) requirement.  The SAE is a work-based learning experience in the agriculture industry, and William took the role very seriously. He “far surpassed my expectations for the project,” Strashun said, going on to say, “I really wanted the garden maintained and watered. William not only maintained the garden, but he took on the initiative to really improve the garden by researching organic pest control interventions, building garden beds out of pallets, and adding a small green house and new plants. This was a huge labor of love for him, and he taught me so many new things about the upkeep of a fully organic garden.”

William explained that he spent upward of an hour and a half to two hour-sessions tending to the garden. Daily watering was necessary, especially given that it was a largely hot, dry summer, and he used a hose with a multi-nozzle featuring different modes including shower and jet. “I typically use the shower mode, because it’s quicker than using just the mister and isn’t too strong that it will destroy the roots.” Expertly, he advised, “As long as you have the correct soil and pots, watering your plants should be easy. It’s very hard to over water a plant with the correct pots and soil because each type of soil will only hold a certain amount of water.”

Spending a good amount of time sorting out fertilizer, WIlliam said, “In order for me to water all the plants I first have to start fertilizing all of the plants that are deficient in these categories: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium. The nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are all used in plant growth and health, especially in their leaves to prevent discoloring and death among the plants.” On the other hand,  he noted that calcium deficiencies manifest in a variety of ways, such as rot on tomato plants.

Once the watering and any necessary fertilizing was accomplished, William spent time trimming the plants and supporting them to prevent breakages.

The biggest challenge he tackled this summer was pest management. Pest issues “require me to do more research and find the best way to deal with that specific insect.” For one, cabbage moths were definitely a bother this summer.

“My favorite thing about seeing the harvest at the school is knowing that this is all done by me and the school and none of it is touched by any added preservatives or colorings. Also, that it is fresh and newly picked and hasn’t been sitting on a shelf for who knows how long. I also enjoy just seeing what I harvested and thinking about all the effort I put into it and that it all led to this.”

Strashun is ecstatic that there’s more than just the harvest to be excited about at the end of this year’s garden story: William “has agreed to stay on to help maintain the garden and  provide education to both the Garden Club and the Ecology Club for this year and hopefully beyond.”