TPSD Structured Day Program to host first ever farmers market

ADDIE DAVIS, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
·2 min read

TUPELO - The Tupelo Public School District’s gardening initiative, Growing Healthy Waves, is helping Structured Day students host their very own farmers market.

The market will take place at the Fillmore Center at 903 Fillmore Drive from noon to 2 p.m. on May 16. All profits from the market will go back into Structured Day’s gardening program, buying such supplies as new seeds, soil, fixed garden beds and more.

“The structured day garden teams, the middle and high schoolers, have worked hard to grow plants to sell and put funds back in their garden program,” GHW garden educator Chasiti McGhee said.

At this market, the Structured Day students will be selling potted plants exclusively — about 250 total, maybe more. The students harvested the plants from the garden at the Fillmore Center, which they tend, and they potted the plants themselves.

There will be vegetable, flowering, and native plants available for purchase. Vegetable plants, including tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, basil and bush beans, will cost $2.50. Annual flowering plants, including sunflowers and zinnia, will cost $4. Native plants, including wild rye, hyssop, yarrow and aster, will cost $6.

Though there are no hard plans at the moment, McGhee hopes to host a second Structured Day farmers market the week after the first one, at which students will be able to sell harvested produce.

The Structured Day farmers market is taking TPSD alternative school students beyond the practical skills they’re learning in the garden to training in professionalism. The students are involved at all levels, from growing the plants to planning the market, brainstorming marketing strategies and selling their produce. The project has been in the works since mid-February.

“Operating this (farmers market) at school allows our students to practice professionalism in fields such as sales, marketing, and business management to an authentic audience, which is our community,” McGhee said.

For many of McGhee’s Structured Day students, their own farmers market will be the first they’ve ever attended, she said.

And McGhee is hoping to incorporate farmers markets into her other gardening classes across the school district.

“We would just love for the community to come out and support these garden teams in their efforts,” McGhee said. “They've worked really hard.”