No dirt necessary to grow plants
SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock Middle School students came back from their winter break to harvest a bountiful crop. And maybe learn a little science at the same time.
As part of an effort to increase awareness of student wellness, as well as a tie to instruction relating to “STEAM” (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) subjects, the middle school at 201 Keister Road, specifically Sylvia Bonetti's home economics classroom, became home to a Tower Garden, thanks to of a grant written by Assistant Superintendent Patricia Kardambikis.
The Tower Garden uses a process called aeroponics — the same technology NASA uses — to grow plants using only water and nutrients instead of dirt.
The aeroponics process can grow plants three times faster and produce 30 percent greater yields on average.
According to the Tower Garden website, seeds are started in seeding cubes. After germination, the cubes are placed in full light for a week or two, where they can develop into seedlings that are then transplanted into the Tower Garden.
The tower has a 25-gallon reservoir at its base. This reservoir stores a mineral nutrient solution and a small, low-wattage submersible pump.
The pump draws the nutrient solution up through the center of each pot all the way to the top of the tower.
From there, the nutrient solution drips through a special device that evenly cascades the nutrient solution over the plant roots in a continuous process.
The Tower Garden is currently in use at the middle school where plants such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and a wide variety of lettuce have been growing for the past nine weeks.
Bonetti, has already seen the positive effect that the new addition has had on her students.
“The students are excited about growing their own vegetables. They get to see the results and then eat the results. They get to see that not all of the food that they eat has to come from the grocery store. For many students, this is something new,” said Bonetti.“The garden tied right into our studies on nutrition. The students planted it, and now they get to eat it,” she said.Principal Jacob Jefferis also sees the garden's potential impact on instruction.“The garden is an important bridge between learning and life,” he said. “The students are excited about their education, as well as harvesting the vegetables that they grow. Engaging in the nutritional and scientific principles in this manner is rewarding for the students and has the added benefit of a useful and tangible product for consumption throughout the lessons.”He added the tower will continue to produce vegetables and the vegetables will continue to be eaten by students for the rest of the school year.Tower Garden specialist, Becky Rinker said the garden can contribute to students' wellness habits for a lifetime.“It provides students an opportunity to see where food comes from and does so during the school year in months when we don't get to see such growth in Pennsylvania,” she said.Rinker applauded the school district's emphasis on wellness and STEAM practices through the use of the Tower Garden.
