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Planting Healthy Habits at Old Fort

Good eating habits take root at Old Fort School

by Britt Combs

An acquired taste? Old Fort fifth-grader Spencer Creasman savors a bite of fresh fig, straight of the tree he and his classmates planted Friday in the school's courtyard, with the help of Bruce Johnson on the Useful Plants Nursery.

By Britt Combs | The McDowell News

Published: November 11, 2009

The courtyards and green spaces in and around Old Fort Elementary just got a lot greener last week, thanks to a generous gift and a good measure of elbow grease.

Bruce Johnson, of Useful Plants Nursery of Black Mountain, spent the day Friday helping groups of students from kindergarten to sixth grade plant arbours and gardens around the school.

All the plants were a gift from the nursery, which was much appreciated by the school and by the Health Department's Mary Smith, who was on hand to video the day's work.

"We did a major survey of the school community's health habits back in 2006," said Smith, "including 880 students, teachers and parents." An almost constant factor, she said, was low or no quantities of fruit and vegetables in the McDowell diet, young and old alike.

As the kids helped Johnson plant, Smith explained that eating raspberries, strawberries, figs, muscadines and similar fruits are "one of the most effective ways to prevent chronic illness and improve the quality of your health."

Johnson said he was glad to share some of Useful Plants' resources with the school. He told the kids about the place plants have in the community and how they can help the school and the people in the school every day.

"How many of you know where your food actually comes from?" he asked a group of fifth-graders.

A few hands went up, but as the kids offered their answers, it was clear they were theoretical -- "the grocery store" or "China" -- rather than specific. These kids aren't farmers.

"Actually, that's right," said Johnson. "Often our food comes from far away. Sometimes it is grown on factory farms, and shipped around the world to us," using all kinds of chemicals and burning fossil fuels to get it to the local grocery. The advantage of locally grown foods was clearly a subject he was glad to share with the kids.

"We are very fortunate in this region, unlike some other places, that we have good soil and good weather and plenty of rainfall," he said, "and we don't have to rely on food sources from far away."

Planting fig trees, he explained how he selected their new location.

The region is just on the edge of where fig trees can do well, he explained, and planting the trees against a south-facing brick wall will help keep the plants warm enough to survive. In exchange for that protection, he added, the fig trees will help provide insulation for the building, keeping it warmer in the winter and shading it in the summer.

Kids clamored to crowd around and help as Johnson explained that the dirt in that spot was not the best topsoil. To remedy that, he had them spread fertilizer in the dirt.

"Who knows what fertilizer is made of?" he asked.

Two or three kids grinned and whispered "Poop," with stifled giggles.

"Eww." The rest cried in unison.

"That's right," said Johnson, "this is mostly dried chicken poop."

He admonished the kids to wash their hands well after touching the stuff. Then the kids got to help spread the roots and place the hearty young tree in its new home, where hopefully it will live and prosper, and provide a delicious treat, for many years to come.

Johnson invited everyone to come to Useful Plants on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a plant sale and jam, with live music, free snacks and hot tea, and big discounts on a wide range of edible, landscaping and medicinal plants.

The nursery's Web site can be seen at www.usefulplants.org. You can also call 669-6517 for directions and more information.