Afterschool gardening clubs take root at Knox County Schools such as Vine Middle

Two employees at Knox County Community Gardens and Growers Alliance are hoping to start school garden programs at every school in Knox County. Vine Middle Magnet School's garden club is one of several already blossoming.

The garden bed outside Vine Middle Magnet School used to be filled with invasive plant species, and previous landscapers had left behind layers of plastic sheeting and tarps, said Nick Thompson, one of the two gardeners who comprise the alliance's school garden team. Now, a garden of native plants grows there instead.

The garden club started this past March, said Hannah Florence, a teacher at Vine overseeing the club. The club is open to all students, according to Florence, but it's mostly sixth graders who attend the weekly afterschool meeting.

Vine Middle Magnet School students put down roots

On May 1, the garden club met to pull weeds and begin planting the variety of native greenery they'd picked out with Thompson and the other half of the school garden leadership team, Erica Lisowe. "The ownership is really key," Lisowe told Knox News.

When deciding which species they'd grow, garden club member Buster Lashier had his sights set on planting a fern. "Every house we've ever moved to, we immediately get a fern," he said. "It's like, what do you call it, nostalgic." Lisowe and Thompson suggested the Boulder fern, which Lashier helped plant.

Some students in the club already had experience gardening, which is part of what drew them to the club. "I was the first person to turn my paper in," said Deondre Jacobs, who has been gardening for four years with his family. Vera Waite, whose favorite part of the club is spending time outside, grew up gardening as well.

How a happenstance meeting sparked a community-wide vision

Lisowe and Thompson both have backgrounds in school gardening. Thompson worked at Inskip Elementary School and later Pond Gap Elementary, where he and Lisowe met through their roles at the garden - Thompson through University-Assisted Community Schools and Lisowe through AmeriCorps.

Through these roles, Lisowe and Thompson witnessed the need for school garden support roles, Thompson said. While schools often have interest in gardens, upkeep isn't always feasible without someone dedicated to projects full-time who can perform tasks such as delivering mulch, scheduling volunteers, crop planning and sourcing native plants.

Lisowe and Thompson started looking for ways to continue their work. In August 2023, Knox County Community Gardens and Growers Alliance - which Thompson described as a network for community gardens to share resources and problem-solve - agreed to provide the funding to support Lisowe's and Thompson's vision of school gardens across the county.

Resources vary at the 19 sites with which Lisowe and Thompson have begun collaborating. Some schools had programs already, or owned tools or spaces - like the garden bed at Vine - while others had very little to start with. "Because each of these sites have unique needs and spaces, we're able to tailor to kids and schools," Lisowe said.

What happens to the food grown depends on each school too. At high schools, students have the choice to cook it, give it away or bring it to a farmers market, Thompson said. At elementary and middle schools, food is typically sent home with students.

Ultimately, the school garden team hopes schools see programs as their own. The hope is that through Lisowe and Thompson's leadership, they can foster sustainability, meaning eventually schools won't require outside support as frequently, Thompson said.

Growing together

The benefits of school gardens are innumerable. Florence, the Vine teacher, said the club is a useful behavioral motivator because students are so invested. She describes her sixth graders as full of energy, and the club offers somewhere for students to direct it. "They get an outlet at the end of day. They get to play with bugs and plant things in the dirt," she said.

Lisowe spoke to the ways the garden offers a learning experience free of judgment. "It's a space for students that's not where they're being tested; it's a place where they can explore."

"I just want this to build their confidence, their pride in this," Thompson said of the club's impact. "I hope it makes them want to come to Vine."

Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email hayden.dunbar@knoxnews.com.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Garden clubs at Knox County Schools give students a chance to grow