COMMACK SCHOOLS

Second graders throughout the district are learning about vertical gardening thanks to tower gardens coming to the primary schools.

On Monday, Rolling Hills students in Kristen Gallagher’s class formed teams to construct a tower garden.

That construction included building the tower, setting up lights on a timer that will keep the plants happy indoors, and filling a tub with water and nutrients so that a pump can hydrate the plants.

Students also planted kale, arugula, and assorted lettuce seeds.

The tower garden will be on display in a Rolling Hills hallway for all students to observe while Mrs. Gallagher’s class tends to it for the next eight weeks or so. Once the plants are mature and harvested, the responsibilities for planting a new crop will shift to a different second-grade class at Rolling Hills.

Tower gardens conserve space and water, allowing large quantities of food to be grown in small spaces.