Were you born a gardener or were you molded into one?
Leta Fetherolf, the new garden coordinator for Salish Coast Elementary first loved gardens when planting alongside her Mom and sister in North Carolina. As a student attending, Berea College in Kentucky, she worked in the Horticultural Department. Setting her sights on the NW, she landed on Orcas Island to farm on a 12-acre site (tractors required), then added intensive farming skills (hands on) for a two-acre plot before taking an internship at the Organic Seed Alliance and also working in the Goosefoot Food Bank garden… soil is in her soul.
For her first two weeks on the job, she’s been weeding out last year's Covid growth getting plots ready for this year’s seeds. She has high hopes her passion for plants takes hold in the students as they experience the full-emersion garden. After the second garden for production produce is deer fenced, students will also learn how to grow crops for their school lunch.
Leta wants kids to leave the garden feeling empowered -- knowing where food comes from and that gardening is an accessible skill for them to learn. She hopes they are inspired whether it's through one of her classes or from sharing the space with other Salish teachers. She sees local agricultural as foundational for community resilience and also as a way to become independent of big agricultural practices.
Stop by and welcome Leta. Better yet, pick up a shovel and join her!