First- and fifth-grade book buddies at Tamarac Elementary School recently utilized tower gardens to gain valuable insight into the importance of homegrown fruits and vegetables. 

The book buddies from Jennifer Crane’s first-grade class and Trisha Schneider’s fifth-grade class collaboratively studied the importance of a crop’s environment as they checked the acidity and water levels of the soil throughout the growth cycle. 

Within the self-watering tower garden, the students grew basil, Bibb lettuce, lavender, peppermint and romaine lettuce. Students tracked the success of the garden in a journal as they followed the progress of the individual crops. 

Concluding the horticulture lesson, the student buddies came together for a special feast where they enjoyed a harvest of their fresh, homegrown vegetables.