Following weeks of preparation, a small section of Owatin Creek’s stage was transformed into a promising farm yesterday as students carefully transplanted little romaine and leaf lettuce seedlings into an upright, hydroponic “flex farm.” For the next month, students in Mrs. Jill Weaver’s class will visit the flex farm to watch their little seedlings grow into fully-developed heads of lettuce, which will then be harvested and given to the local food pantry. The hydroponics system, which was developed by Fork Farms along with a learning curriculum for students and support for teachers, offers schools the ability to grow up to 394 pounds of produce annually in an upright and portable system that only needs a little bit of space, water and an electrical outlet. Within a month, the farm promises students that they’ll have about 25 pounds of food with minimal maintenance and work following yesterday’s successful transplanting. 

But better yet, says Mrs. Weaver, it provides an incredible learning experience and cooperative opportunity for all of her students to learn a real-life skill. “Our classroom has worked the past few weeks on learning about hydroponics, plants and where our food comes from,” she said. “The students have been involved in the whole process from planting the seeds, watering the seedlings, watching the seedlings grow, to transplanting the seedlings. They are so excited that they should be able to harvest their lettuce by the middle of November.” 

The system was purchased through a grant obtained by the Exeter Community Education Foundation (ECEF), who provided one flex farm each to Owatin Creek, Lorane and Jacksonwald. Following training provided by Fork Farms during a half-day professional development session in September, teachers and their students set forward to germinate their lettuce seeds and grow them into seedlings hearty enough to be transplanted into the flex farm. Once planted, it will just take a month for the seedlings to grow to maturity under timed LED lights and with recycled water that continuously drips over their roots. In addition to lettuce, the system promises best results with plants such as herbs, cucumbers, strawberries, peppers and tomatoes–all of which can be grown out of the way on a small section of the stage at any time of the year. Mrs. Weaver said her class is also excited to try non-edible plants, such as flowers, which they hope to grow next.

When asked by ECEF what new learning opportunities the organization could bring to students, Dr. Christy Haller, Superintendent, said she loved the idea of a project that could provide hands-on learning experiences to students while also benefiting the community. From that, the Flex Farm idea was generated. “We are so grateful that ECEF was able to bring this vision to life to lend a hand to our local food pantry while also providing a fantastic way for students to learn. It’s definitely a win-win for our students as well as the community.”