Metro Garden Market

Overview

STEAM students sell plants, garden accessories at Metro Garden Market April 24-26

Proceeds from the sale fund alternative education and work-based learning projects

April 16, 026 (CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA)—Get your garden started with vegetable, flower and herb seedlings grown by Metro STEAM Academy students at the Metro Garden Market from April 24 to 26 at Metro High School, 1212 7th St. SE. Students will also be selling birdhouses, pots, planters and other garden accessories they made in the Metro STEAM Academy workshop.

The sale opens Friday, April 24, from noon to 7 p.m., and continues Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Enter from 12th Avenue SE and park behind the school in the lower or upper lots, near the Metro Greenhouse. Student volunteers will be on hand to help shoppers carry their purchases.

At the beginning of each quarter, Metro STEAM Academy students choose from a variety of hands-on projects. The third quarter was focused on the Metro Garden Market. Since January, students have been starting seeds and tending seedlings in the Metro Greenhouse. Hundreds of plants will be sold at the garden market and to commercial customers.

Seedlings for sale at the market include:

• Tomatoes: Amish Paste, Cherokee Purple, Red Cherry, Delicious, Igle Heart Yellow Cherry, Black Krim, Roma, Ukrainian Purple, Tasty Evergreen

• Sweet and hot peppers: Ghost Pepper, Carolina Reaper, Trinidad Scorpion, Jalapeño, Habanero, Pepper X

• Herbs: Chives, Safe, Dill, Sweet Basil, Lemon Drop Balm, Dill, Sage

• Squash and melons: Butternut, Acorn, Heirloom, Zucchini, Pumpkin,

• Miscellaneous: Lupine (flowers), cucumber, okra

Fourth-quarter Metro STEAM Academy students have been getting their hands dirty, tending to seedlings flourishing in the Metro Greenhouse.

“I’ve always been interested in planting,” said Laura. “Gardening is so simple and you get food out of it and you get like pretty flowers.”

Some students are first-time gardeners, while others bring experience to the Metro Greenhouse.

“I grew up gardening with my grandpa. I find it really peaceful, almost. It’s a really intentional process, like focusing on the little details, like the mundane things,” said Journey, a Metro STEAM Academy student. “I think my favorite thing to plant was watermelon (last spring). I didn’t take any home but I took basil and my basil blew up.”

Every Metro STEAM Academy project involves teamwork. Students often move between hands-on projects in the greenhouse and those in the second-floor workshop.

“I’ve been gardening, mostly tomatoes. We did so many tomatoes! I was just building upstairs building wood planters,” said CC.

Student-made products for sale at the garden market were created using a variety of equipment, including xTool Laser, 3D printers, a miter saw, table saw, power tools and a sublimation press and printer.

METRO apparel, potted annuals purchased wholesale from a local greenhouse and garden accessories such as gloves and watering cans will also be available for purchase.

Metro STEAM Academy students in charge of promoting Metro Garden Market created graphics for print and online, and also took photos to use on social media.

Many of the teens will volunteer to staff the three-day sale. Some will carry purchas for customers while others personalize custom travel mugs onsite. Proceeds from the garden market will support alternative education and work-based learning.

The Metro Garden Market is an opportunity for students to get much-needed work experience. Students gained valuable work experience at the Metro Made Store in NewBo City Market during November and December. That effort netted more than $7,600 from the sale of 40 unique, student-made products, including fudge, holiday ornaments, scented candles and custom mugs and magnets.

Metro Garden Market partners include Lucy’s Soil, Tomorrow STEMS from Iowa, Saucy Picasceau and GROW Kazimour Farms & Orchard. Some vendors will be at the market on Saturday, April 25.

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