LEXINGTON, Ky. — For gardeners, now is the prime time for growing fruits, vegetable and flowers to consume, sell or simply just to marvel over; however, many young people don’t know where to begin when it comes growing one’s own food.

Thankfully, a one-of-a-kind agriculture school in Fayette County is bringing the joy and importance of a garden to a new generation. Locust Trace Agri-Science Farm (LTAF) has much to offer students, including a working veterinary clinic, an equine studies program and an aquaculture lab. Its latest venture comes by way of a garden area in front of the school.

Sara Tracy, LTAF community liaison, said the garden idea has been a part of the school’s plan since its inception. “We planned from the beginning to have 6.5 acres for a garden area,” she said.

Those plans include grapevines, a small orchard of 12 fruit trees and a rotation of vegetables and cover crops at least for the first few years to develop soil fertility, according to Tracy. 

One of the most important aspects of the garden will be a one-acre plot to be divided and rotated between other local schools so their students may learn from LTAF students how to grow their own food and, ultimately, take it home with them, she said.

This “sharing” idea will also help those students who want to take back a plan for a garden in their own schools.

“When these students take field trips, some groups come out to see the vet clinic, and that is what those students are interested in seeing. But when we have students that are interested in starting a garden at their home school, they can specifically set up to come here and work with our plant and land science students. They can learn about things like raised beds or square-foot gardening that might be applicable to their home school,” Tracy added.

Projects such as the garden have created much interest from other area schools, she said, prompting many field trips to LTAF. “We’ve had several elementary, middle and high schools and even some private schools out already,” she explained.

Such attention was something, Tracy said was partially expected because of the support the school received throughout the region when the creation of LTAF was announced. Indeed, this unique high school has become an educational attraction not just for the region but in other states, and even the world.

“We’ve had people visit from Denmark, Australia, Japan, China, Canada; a little bit from all over,” said Tracy.

That attention has also spread to the state capital. After Locust Trace students visited the state’s Senate Agriculture Committee, the idea of planting a Governor’s Garden took shape. Officials from the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy and First Lady Jane Beshear’s office worked to make the idea a reality at LTAF.

Beshear began the Governor’s Garden project after being inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama’s garden at the White House. The idea of the project is to promote products which are grown in Kentucky by local farmers, and encourage state businesses, organizations, schools and communities to grow and maintain their own gardens and educate the public about the health and economic benefits of community gardening and locally grown foods.

There are several other gardens planted around Kentucky and in most cases, students have participated and tend to the projects. Tracy said it seemed a natural fit for LTAF to host a Governor’s Garden.

One of the requirements of the program is to donate the food to the local community. Tracy said because of that, she thought it would be a good idea to give some of the food grown at Locust Trace to Fayette County’s Farm to School (FTS) program, something in which she is involved.

FTS is a collaborative effort between the USDA, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the University of Kentucky extension and Nutrition Education Program, the Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Public Health.

The program is an introduction for schoolchildren, who might not otherwise have had a chance to experience fresh, locally grown food.

“It’s pretty exciting that some of the kids who have been out on a field trip or will be working the garden, can take (the food) to their school and say ‘This came from Locust Trace,’ and that will be really neat,” Tracy said.