After three years of planning, the Middlebrook Greenhouse was officially pronounced open today in a ribbon cutting ceremony this evening at Middlebrook school. The greenhouse was generously funded by The Wilton Educational Foundation (WEF) and Wilton Continuing Education
Brian Ladewig, Co-Chair of Wilton Education Foundation ‘Thanks, and a credit to Heather, your vision for what’s possible with students in terms of thinking about how to connect home, careers and sustainable agriculture and all that great work. It is such a credit to the spirit of Middlebrook School. Thanks to our Eagle Scouts who helped to build out the raised beds inside. WEF board appreciates that too.
Renee Cahill, Co-Chair of Wilton Education Foundation said ‘ I am so impressed, it’s as beautiful as we thought it would be, all the back and forth, it was worth it.’
Kevin Smith recalled the genesis of the Greenhouse project. “Imagine, it’s January 2016, a little snow on the ground, there were raised bed gardens all the way through (the area where the greenhouse is now), Heather was renovating her house and had brought in all her old windows to act as covers on the raised beds. ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have a greenhouse? Heather asked me ‘So I wouldn’t have to bring in all my old windows, we could grow all year round, and kids who were taking Family Consumer Science in winter would have a comparable experience with those taking it in the warmer months?’
Funding for the project was secured early on through WEF and the Wilton Education Foundation. Dr Smith recounted that there were however hurdles to overcome with many other aspects of the project – ‘There was a problem with everything else, the size of the greenhouse, the location, the heat, the lights, the water, the corrugated roof, the drainage, the egress, the ingress. One by one, all the issues were sorted out and two and a half years later, in October 2018, we finally received a certificate of occupancy from the town’
Emily Dowden from Wilton Continuing Education also spoke – “We are happy to support sustainability and growing student programs like this one and the needs of our students. Thank you, Heather. This summer we will be offering a farm-to-table program for our students. It will be held here at Middlebrook and run by Heather.
The greenhouse will be operational during the school year. Its system of heating and fans allows the temperature to be regulated between 60F and 80F to optimize plant growth. The greenhouse beds are already full of growing plants - spinach, kale, and tomatoes are all underway. Mrs. Priest is also trying to grow squash and zucchini within the greenhouse 'I've had a real problem with squash vine borers in previous years, I am really hoping for success this year' she added.
Students will learn about the greenhouse during their quarter in Mrs. Priest's Family and Consumer Science course.
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