By Lonestar High School Southeast Career Prep and Horticulture Teacher Laura Watts —
Horticulture students at Giddings State Juvenile Correctional Facility have been busy assembling and learning how to maintain their new tower gardens.
The indoor tower gardens use an aeroponics system to grow fruits and vegetables in the convenience of an indoor classroom.
Aeroponics is the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use of soil. It is the most effective and efficient way to provide plants with the necessary nutrients, hydration and oxygen.
Tower garden plants start growing in a spongy material called rockwool. This soilless medium gives roots plenty of oxygen and moisture for fast, healthy growth.
The tower garden kit comes with a variety of starter seeds with planting instructions that will set the students up for growing success. Once the seeds have sprouted (germinated) and turned into seedlings, the students place them in the tower to start watching them thrive and grow.
Students love it because it’s a hands-on class. They can plant their own seeds, watch their plants grow daily and there’s something new to look forward to each school day.
The kids acquire a sense of pride in their plants and learn new skills, while taking on a leadership role.
The students say harvesting is fun and that trying new foods is exciting.
“We can eat this!” one student said.
Learning to grow their own food has been a new experience for the students.