Tag: elizabeth

On that very same day of 5/10/2023 we were lucky enough to visit the annex school of Nicholas Butler School No.23 to continue gardening! Unlike the main building where students planted in raised bed gardens, students planted in Earth Box gardens!

Container gardening is perfect anywhere, especially in small areas with limited outdoor space and no grass needed! One of the benefits about these Earth Box gardens are its ability to conserve water. Did you know that these types of gardens can hold up to 3 gallons of water? That’s a lot of water! This in return makes it easier for gardeners to maintain their plants hydrated and less labor-intensive than traditional gardening.

Chairman Granados, Vice-Chairwoman Palmieri-Mouded, and Commissioner Leon joined students and teachers from Nicholas Butler School No.23 for a fun day of planting!

When students were asked about their favorite fruit, answers varied but some of the most popular answers were strawberries and grapes. Lucky for them, they will be able to grow their very own watermelons, cucumbers, and tomatoes! We can’t wait to see these gardens flourish.

Madison Monroe School No.16 students and faculty have welcomed a variety of different plants to their school!

Reminder: Earth boxes only need watering through the tube when reservoir is dry. However, watering varies greatly. For instance, a full grown tomato plant needs watering once a day. Young starter plants can be watered every 1-2 weeks.

Once again, we return to Mabel G. Holmes School No. 5 for their second year of planting! While we did not plant garlic this time around, students from School No.5 welcomed tomatoes, squash, basil, and many more to their garden.

Did you know that students at Mabel G. Holmes are also growing and taking care of their very own lavender trees? All thanks to their teacher Mr. Frumolt, who has his very own garden at home!

Students and faculty from JVJ Stem Academy were joined by Chairman Granados to kick off their summer planting season!

Since the opening of JVJ STEM Academy in 2022, the faculty and students have participated in our Plant a Seed Kids Dig In Program. One of eight Elizabeth High schools, JVJ Stem Academy specializes in preparing students for successful entry into STEM-related postsecondary studies and career paths.

Fun Fact: JVJ STEM Academy is among 30 schools across the U.S., and the only school from the Northeast Region, to be recognized as a 2022-2023 US Microsoft Incubator School!

Students and faculty from John Marshall School No. 20 have welcomed a variety of new plants to their garden!  One of the big ones that will be growing here are black cherry tomatoes.

Trivia: What is the scientific name for tomato?

Answer: Lycopersicon Esculentum

Students from John E. Dwyer School & Admiral William F. Halsey Technology Academy were joined by Commissioner Sergio Granados and Commissioner Lourdes Leon on Monday morning for their third year of gardening!

Not only does Dwyer and Halsey house pollinator gardens in their courtyard, they have also been able to establish a greenhouse so they can plant all year round!

Fun fact: Chairman Sergio Granados and Commissioner Lourdes Leon are both alumni from the Elizabeth Public School System: Admiral William F. Halsey Technology Academy and Elizabeth High School.

Commissioner Lourdes Leon joined students and faculty from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School No. 52 on their multicultural day for another day of planting!

On today’s agenda…cucumbers!

What type of vitamins do cucumber supply humans with?

Just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

Chairman Granados and students from Dr. Antonia Pantoja School No.27 have planted their very own cucamelons!

Cucamelons are native to Mexico and are part of the cucumber family. They even taste like a sour cucumber with a dash of lime. Due to the fact that they look like mini watermelons, they are called sandiita in Mexico and Central America.

Fun Fact: Cucamelons are known by different names. Some of these aliases are creeping cucumber, Guadeloupe cucumber, Mexican miniature watermelon, Mexican sour cucumber, Mexican sour gherkin, mouse melon, and pepquinos.

Students from Battin Annex School No. 4 were joined by none other than Commissioner Lourdes Leon and Maria Carvalho to plant something very special… watermelon!

Go Battin Pups!

Trivia: When is National Watermelon Day 2023?

National Watermelon Day is August 3^rd, 2023!

Fun Fact: Watermelon is 92% water.