Maintaining the school garden (Karen Strawn)

Sevilla Elementary Middle School is one of the smallest schools for military kids in the world. It is at Morón Air Base in Spain. There are only about 30 students in the whole school, from kindergarten to eighth grade. And, while the school may be small, they have an amazing garden.

Kids in the garden club plant things twice a year. When school starts, they plant things like lettuce, celery, watermelon and pumpkins. The fall and winter months in Spain are mild, so that is when many things grow. In the spring they plant things like tomatoes, peppers and strawberries. These plants can handle the hot spring and summer.

Planting the school garden (Karen Strawn)

The kid gardeners use compost. That means they recycle natural items back into healthy soil. At school, they have a compost bin for shredded paper and food scraps from lunch. They mix the compost into the garden soil once a year. “Nothing in the garden goes to waste,” says Ms. Strawn, the teacher who helps with the garden club.

During lunch and recess, kids can visit the garden. This is a great time to pull some weeds and check on the plants. The school also has a turtle that lives in the garden. He eats some of the vegetables, too!

Turtle at the school garden (Karen Strawn )

When they are ripe, the kids harvest fruit and vegetables. All the students at the school can take home food from the garden. The club recycles newspapers to make bags so people can take home their vegetables. The kids’ favorite things to grow are big watermelons and pumpkins. They also love to find the strawberries that hide under the leaves and vines.

Harvest time at the school garden (Karen Strawn)