TUJUNGA : Students Will Turn Dirt Into a Garden

Pumpkins, cucumbers and daisies will soon be part of the setting at Plainview Elementary School when students and teachers till a hardened, weed-filled plot of land on campus into rich garden soil.

The school plans to grow a multipurpose garden that will teach students lessons in cultivation and community awareness. Groundbreaking ceremonies will be Wednesday.

The project, funded by a $500 grant from the Los Angeles Environmental Affairs Department, will have students cultivating their own flowers and produce, which will either be sold to teachers and parents or donated to the poor.

The grant is part of a 2-year-old program funded by the Southern California Gas Co. called Community Urban Greening.

Naming it the Plainview Community Garden, the students will divide a 1,500-square-foot plot into 16 parcels. Each class will be allowed to experiment with the soil in different ways.

“This is a great way to get the children in touch with what’s going on around them,” said Linda Petersen, a fourth-grade teacher serving as the project’s co-coordinator. In addition to growing flowers and produce, some classes will be conducting science projects in the garden, Petersen said.

Students “will be able to see insects operating in their natural habitats and can take joy in watching things they helped plant grow.”

Hoping to cultivate more than the dirt with the school’s new project, Bob Peters, a Tujunga resident who initiated the garden idea, plans to establish a food bank with the produce. He wants to donate the vegetables to needy families.

“The purpose of the project is to create a growth spot for the school and the community,” said Peters.

“There are a lot of kids at (Plainview) who are on the school’s (free or reduced lunch) food program. We’re hoping to at least provide their families with some fresh produce.”

Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs, who was an advocate of the project and is scheduled to attend Wednesday’s groundbreaking, said: “For such a small amount of money, the children will be able to learn a variety of lessons. It will teach them the concept of sharing and will make them aware of the needs of other families in the community. We may get them involved in distributing the food” to those families.

Wachs said he hopes that the Plainview project will inspire the Gas Co. to continue funding Community Urban Greening grants for years to come.