Growing a partnership

Gardening brings PHS science and culinary students together

Posted 3/16/23

What do culinary arts and science have in common?

At Powell High School both of these classes share a garden, but it isn’t a traditional garden. They use hydroponic growing equipment …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Growing a partnership

Gardening brings PHS science and culinary students together

Posted

What do culinary arts and science have in common?

At Powell High School both of these classes share a garden, but it isn’t a traditional garden. They use hydroponic growing equipment installed in the hallway.

Hydroponics is an agricultural method that uses water and nutrients rather than soil to grow crops. It saves space and can be done using a variety of growing units including towers, columns and beds.

If the seniors in Wendy Smith’s science and environmental classes want to try growing something, they can. She gestures at a failed cornstalk as proof of concept. When Denise Laursen’s foods and culinary art students want basil or parsley they are able to harvest it fresh rather than use older products purchased from a store. Not only is the taste better but fresh herbs add a pop of color to dishes like McKenna Alley’s ramen.

“It’s really convenient, because when you have to use dry herbs it’s just not the same,” senior Alexa Nardini said. “It just doesn’t give it as good of a flavor as when you use fresh herbs.”

Laursen said the hydroponic equipment gives her culinary students multiple learning opportunities. They are able to see the herbs they use from growth to harvest and learn the taste and smell of the fresh herb, something Laursen says her students will be expected to know if they join the food industry.

The gardening towers and beds have been at Powell High School for roughly five years after Laursen and Smith came up with the idea and Smith applied for a grant to fund the project. Smith and her seniors maintain and plant the crops — it also lets Smith supplement learning for her students in an interactive way.

Students also learn planting, growing and gardening methods because of the hydroponic columns. They use foam plugs to install the plants into the columns when they are mature enough, they plant flowers to prevent bugs from feeding on the plants and they fix leaks and use supplemental grow lights to help the plants grow. Students also learn how to save seeds from their crop and other seeds are donated by the Big Horn Co-op.

Currently Smith said the students have grown quite a bit of green beans which they have been eating since Christmas. They’re almost gone but some bell peppers are on the way. Other plants growing in the towers include fresh basil, heirloom tomatoes, parsley, lemon parsley and dinosaur kale.

At the end of the year, teachers are offered the chance to pick the remaining crop — usually basil is the most in demand.

Comments