Green Thumb

Growing future gardenersOne seed at a time

5.16.16

HMSGreenThumb@gmail.com

Gar d en Nig hts :

5 : 3 0p m- 7 : 0 0p m
E ver y M ond ay Ni ght
fr o m Ma y - Oc to ber
( w eat her -p er m itt ing)

In this Issue:
Garden Diversity

Social Networking

Upcoming Events

Whats Growing On?

The Unless Brick

We Eat What We Grow

Upcoming Events

5.18.16 Last Day of

School
5.23.16 HMS Garden
Night 5:30pm-7:00pm
5.30.16 Memorial
Day

Hastings Middle
School Garden
(Southwest of the
track behind the
school)
201 N Marian Rd
Hastings, NE 68901

Our Volunteers Are Like Our PlantsDiverse and

Abundant! Thank You, Gardeners!
Despite the threat of thunderstorms and
bad weather, volunteers worked for
almost two hours planting, digging, and
preparing garden beds for the hundreds
(if not thousands) of plants that will
make the HMS Garden their home this
garden season. What we love is that our
volunteers are just as diverse as the
plants were nurturing (see above)! From
HMS students to HMS staff, community
members, young, old, Vietnamese,
Latino, and people who dont even have
students attending Hastings Public
Schools, we all bring different talents and
experiences to the HMS Garden.
We wouldnt be able to grow the amount
of produce that we do each year without
our volunteers. You may think that the
main goal of the HMS Garden is to grow

plants and produce food? Well, food

just happens to be the end result of
countless volunteer hours from a very
dedicated group of people. Our mission
here at the HMS Garden is:
To grow more than plants. To learn
and teach side by side growing
plants and relationships.
The positive relationships that make
the HMS Garden such a unique place
are just as important, if not more
important, than the food. People are
impacting the lives of others in a very
real, very meaningful way. To some
people, this place may just look like a
patch of dirt with some pretty neat
plants. To the Guardians of the HMS
Garden and our volunteers, its a
whole lot more! Come join us!

There are a number of ways to stay up-to-date with

happenings at the HMS Garden:
1. Like our Facebook page (HMS Garden). Dont forget to share our
posts on your profile to spread the word about what were doing!
2. Follow us on Twitter @letsgrowhms. Tweet us pictures of your home
gardens or outdoor projects youre working on. We love to share
success stories!
3. Check out our website http://letsgrowhms.wix.com/hmsgarden
4. Show up Monday Nights!

Green Thumb
School
Newsletter

Grade Level News HMSGreenThumb@gmail.com

Page 3 of 4

Whats Growing On? Year 4

This summer will be the 4th official
growing season at the HMS Garden.
What started out as a few raised beds
and some rows of plants has
transformed into a half-acre piece of
land where thousands of plants are
grown and hundreds of pounds of
produce are harvested each year.

Garden volunteers discussing the

plan for the night 5.9.16

Not only are the plants we care for

home-grown, our volunteers are, too.
You probably didnt know that a large

number of the garden volunteers have

limited gardening experience. Dont
feel embarrassed when you come out,
were all learning from each other! If
you have a question, just ask.
Its always great to see new faces in the
garden, so we encourage you to share
our Gardening Gospel with friends,
neighbors, relatives, and anyone else
you think might be interested. Spread
the wordand Garden On!

The Unless Brick

Every week we like to recognize those
volunteers who are going above-andbeyond our expectations with an Unless
brick. The tradition began last summer
and has developed into a meaningful
way that we gardeners acknowledge the
hard work and dedication of our fellow
gardeners.
Unless someone like you cares a
whole awful lot, nothing is going
to get better, its not. The
Lorax

The word Unless carries a powerful

message with it. We want those
individuals who receive a brick to know

that their efforts are making a

difference. What we do at the HMS
Garden depends on dedicated people
with open minds and a willingness to
work. Gardening is by no means easy. It
takes thought, hard work, patience, and
creativityall of the characteristics that
our Unless brick recipients display at
the garden.
Adopt the pace of nature, her secret
is patience. Ralph Waldo Emerson

We Eat What We Grow!

According to a recent article published in the American Journal of Pediatrics,
chronic hunger and food insecurity are significant predictors of health conditions in
young children. Children who have access to and eat more nutritious foods are far
less likely to suffer from common childhood illnesses, have delays in brain growth,
and are more likely to perform better in school as a result of proper nutrition.
Healthier foods lead to healthier kids (and healthier brains)!

Lettuce varieties in one of the raised

beds at the HMS Garden 5.9.16

To learn more about healthy

eating habits, check out the
American Heart Association
online and search Healthy
Eating.

It is important to expose children to a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables at

home and reinforce good eating habits. Kids will take on the eating habits of their
parents and favor those foods they regularly eat at home. So parents, set positive
examples for your kids by providing healthier food options. Eating healthier doesnt
have to be expensive. Its all about choice and one of the first choices you can
make is to get in the garden. Not only do HMS Garden volunteers have access to
free produce (in exchange for their volunteering), we regularly have cooking
nights, provide recipe information, and include nutrition and food education in this
newsletter!
We all want to be healthier and coming out to the garden is one way to start the
process. If you have any questions, please dont hesitate to ask. There are a
number of ways to contact us and a number of people who would love to help!

HMS Garden

@letsgrowhms