Claypit Gardens Getting Some Help from Volunteers

Thanks to the generosity of the Wayland Public Schools Foundation, the vegetable gardens are getting a fence installed. The fencing is designed to protect the plants from the local wildlife population of deer, rabbits, raccoons, fox and more.

In addition, Claypit Hill families have volunteered to care for the raised garden beds over the summer months so students returning in September will have beautifully maintained produce ready for harvesting. 

Each grade level at the school was responsible for one of the six raised garden beds.

• First graders planted seeds inspired by the picture book "The Ugly Vegetables," written by a favorite local author, Grace Lin.
• Second graders planted the “three sisters”: corn, beans and squash.
• Third graders planted swiss chard, pumpkins, tomatoes and beans.
• Fourth graders planted kale, Brussel sprouts, sorrel and marigolds.
• And fifth graders planted tomatoes, lemon cucumbers, carrots and basil.

Also, in the extra raised bed, Sharon Postma’s fourth grade class planted sunflower and morning glory seeds to create a Sunflower House.

And finally, volunteers from the High School Summer Community Service Program, offered through the Wayland Recreation Department and Wayland Youth and Family Services, pitched in to plant, weed, mulch, and install netting to the fence posts. 

The high school students were Carley Durant, Josh McCarthy, Emma Silberman, Andrew Love, Mike Ahearne, Lauren Simon, Devin Barnes, Meg Kuhn, DJ Douros, Bobby Dawe, and Matt Cooper. Amy Shoeff, coordinator of the program; Molly Faulkner and Kaat Vander Straeten from Wayland’s Green Team; Renee Bolivar, a CHS parent and professional gardener; and Deane Coady, second grade CHS teacher and vegetable gardens coordinator, also volunteered.

For more information or to help with the school vegetable gardens, contact Coady at Deane_Coady@wayland.k12.ma.us. For information about Wayland’s Green Team, check out its website.