School Gardens Asks for Leaves for Winter

School gardens are transitioning from summer crops to winter gardens and they need some help. The students and volunteers are pulling finished summer crops like tomatoes out of the gardens, planting winter crops, building row covers for more fragile winter crops, planting cover crops to retain the soil, and composting leaves for healthy soil come spring. Umpqua Valley Farm to School is specifically looking for maple leaves for mulch and compost to keep the soil healthy and cut down on costs from buying soil or compost in the spring. The executive director for the program, Erin Maidlow, said they would also take mixes, but maple leaves are the best. “We try to get maple leaves because they break down faster,” Maidlow said. “We’ll cover the beds with those, then they’ll break down and turn into soil and the worms love it. It really adds a lot of nutrients back into the soil, that’s what winter gardening is all about.” There are over 22 schools with gardens in Douglas County, including almost every school in the Roseburg Public School district. Umpqua Valley Farm to School doesn’t manage all of the school gardens. Some are independent of the nonprofit, but all depend on volunteers and donations. “It’s definitely growing and there is a lot of interest in it,” Maidlow said. “It’s not just teaching kids about the local food system, but also showing them what can be grown here so that they can produce food in their own gardens.” People who have leaves can break it up and bring the bags of leaves to Green or Winchester Elementary schools or email info@UVF2S.org. The Farm to School program helps establish or revive school gardens and find ways to get students, teachers, and cafeteria staff to engage with the gardens and incorporate them in the school. Maidlow is the Farm to School Education and Procurement Coordinator for any school in the county that wants to start a garden or procure locally grown or processed foods, or help answer other questions about school gardens.