Specialty Crop

Local students, parents, and other volunteers, in conjunction with NCD staff, help plant and care for vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers in 10 raised beds, 15 ground plots, and a high tunnel at the Niobrara Conservation District (NCD) property from spring through fall. Two of the in-ground beds are perennial crops of rhubarb, asparagus, and chive. Students learn various aspects of plant sciences, horticulture, and gardening, including the lifecycle of plants and insects, and the importance of pollinators.

They also learn about mapping out a garden to use its space most efficiently, and the basics of “companion planting,” which involves pairing plants that complement each other in terms of water, nutrient, and light requirements; growth habits; and pest-repelling abilities.

NCD District Manager Lisa Shaw says that the garden program continues to expand. In the past three years, the number of ground plots has risen from three to 15. Increased produce production has enabled the NCD Garden Program to expand deliveries to include the school lunch program, Head Start preschool, and Helpmate Crisis Center, a domestic violence service in Lusk.

Students and adult mentors, led by NCD Education Coordinator Heidi Sturman, also continue to deliver fresh produce to the Niobrara Senior Center, as well as to the local office of the Department of Family Services, where it is available to residents with low incomes. The garden is part of the Wyoming Hunger Initiative’s Grow A Little Extra program (see Statewide section for information about GALE).