Baseball field becomes school garden

Bases were traded in for watermelons last week as Whitefish Middle School students pitched in to transform the baseball diamond south of the high school into a garden.

The Farm to School garden was relocated to the corner of East Seventh and Pine streets after its previous location off of Highway 93 was no longer available. The garden is a service project for the Whitefish Lions Club and provides produce for the school district food program.

Students planted a variety of seeds and plants in the new garden including potatoes, broccoli, watermelon, onions and strawberries. They also painted dugouts that will be made into greenhouses. New this year, fruit trees have been added to the garden.

Middle school principal Josh Branstetter said the garden’s new location closer to all the schools will make it even easier for student community service projects.

“This really dresses up a corner that wasn’t being used as activities moved elsewhere,” he said. “This looks better and will make it easier to use.”

Traditionally seventh graders and eighth graders plant and harvest the graden. The Lions Club maintains the garden during the summer months. This year campers from the city’s summer park and recreation program will be involved in the garden.

The Lions Club started the garden as one of its major service projects. The project focuses on teaching children about better nutrition through the garden while providing food for the school district food program.

The garden was previously located next to the Don K car dealership, but because the dealership is expanding the land was no longer available. The school district this spring approved moving the garden to the baseball field.