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Vol. <) April, 1913 Xo. 4 



A Grand Rapids School Garden 



Frances Van Buren. 

 how we started a garden. 



When we began our school garden at the Oakdale School 

 of Grand Rapids, Michigan, we encountered many difficulties. 

 The school house, just completed, was on the outskirts of the 

 city, the land having been a common that had never been im- 

 proved. A great deal of sand had been thrown out by the 

 workmen in the only desirable place for a garden. So, starting 

 one under these conditions was rather hard, as two enemies, 

 sod and sand, had to be conquered before anything would grow. 

 A small garden containing bulbs, perennial plants and a few 

 shrubs had been started near our old building two blocks away. 

 These formed the nucleus of our present garden. 



Our greatest problem during the first summer was how to 

 protect the garden from roving animals, chickens, etc., for there 

 was no fence around the school property. Our entire allotment 

 per room for gardening was spent that summer in building a 

 one- board fence. Several rows of corn that served as a hedge 

 and kept oflf the wind, were planted just inside the fence. In 

 spite of all difficulties we were rewarded that first summer by 

 a great mass of bloom although we had few varieties of flowers 

 or vegetables. 



The next spring we were able to persuade the Business 

 Manager of our schools that we were actually making good and 

 could have still better results if a strong wire fence were built 

 around the place. This was done and the space was enlarged 

 until we had a plot of ground ninety feet square. 



