The Lewis Cass agriculture classes, more specifically the Horticulture classes, have recently renovated a depleted and vacant area near the greenhouse to start a garden. This garden will be a great addition to the school, as we have an empty area near the greenhouse where the old one used to be. This old greenhouse was now a waste of space and decrepit, as it had not been used since the addition of our new greenhouse. The newer greenhouse was a personal project to help benefit the Lewis Cass Agriculture Department and program built by Lewis Cass graduate, and Mr. Young’s eldest son, Peyton Young. Agriculture teacher Mr. Mike Appleton says, “The new greenhouse was built in 2012, and Peyton even got a grant to build the greenhouse.” With our agricultural classes being top of the line, it seemed we were missing one thing, which was a usable garden. 

     When interviewed, the man behind it all, Mr. Taylor Plank was asked what some of his goals for the school’s garden were, and he said, “The sole purpose of the garden is to provide free, fresh produce to the community; while also giving our classes the opportunity to learn how to plant, grow, manage, and harvest the garden.” How will this produce be sold though? In the lot next to Walton’s Dollar General, there is a small stand of fresh produce for people to stop by and grab what they would like to have. On the Lewis Cass FFA page (for those who use Facebook), there are posts about what produce will be sold when it is restocked and when it is freshly picked.  

     This garden is a great addition to the community, as it is good to know it is not just a benefit to the school and Horticulture classes. When asked whether this garden will be a flower garden or a produce garden, Mr. Plank said, “The garden is currently in place outside of Mr. Wilson and Mr. Temme’s rooms and next to the greenhouse. It is not new but went fallow (unplanted or uncultivated for those of you who don’t know the meaning of fallow…) last year. The garden needed to be planted in the Spring of 2023, but that was the year Mrs. Heather Smith (former Agriculture teacher) was leaving, and it was a wet spring and the garden went fallow. Last spring, we were able to get it planted.” Thankfully, the weather last spring was good enough to plant our garden, so it was not pushed back yet again. Another setback would not be beneficial, as our school has seen setbacks across many different projects here at Lewis Cass. 

     This garden is not just tended to by just Mr. Plank, but a majority of the Agriculture department all work in the garden. When asked about who is in charge of the garden, Mr. Plank said, “The really cool thing about the garden is that the Principles of Ag class, which is primarily eighth graders, get to help harvest the garden at the start of the school year, then at the end of the year they get to help plant the garden for next year. This entails planting seeds in the greenhouse, and then transplanting those starts into the garden. It is a great experience because not every family grows a garden at home and some students get to gain experience planting, growing, managing, and harvesting the garden that they would otherwise never get the chance to do. Ag student Benjamin Jay says “Since I do not garden at home, I have learned gardening skills and enjoy picking the tomatoes in the garden.” The Landscaping and Plant & Soil Science classes also help manage all aspects of the garden.” This garden is not just a one-man project, as it is all for the community and future generations to learn, plant, grow, and harvest plants. Finally, when asked about what prompted the new garden, Mr. Plank explained, “The garden is not new.” This garden may not be a ‘true-new’ addition to the school, but it is a ‘new refurbished’ garden. 

     Ultimately, this garden was not just a class project for the students in the Agricultural department, nor was it a project for just Mr. Plank; but it was a project and a beneficiary for all who live in the Lewis Cass community and are interested in supporting the Lewis Cass Agriculture department, FFA, and even the future generations of students at our school. With the addition of the refurbished garden, our school has increased its role in helping the Lewis Cass community and has even more to come.