post and photos by Donna Short, Chapter member and volunteer
Green House Venture Terraces
Saturday Jun 15, 2024 – 40 attendees
The Green House Venture was established with a mission “to educate, excite, and equip an inclusive population of elementary students to pursue a sustainable world through a hands-on program in bio-science and urban agriculture.”
The 8,500 square foot Terrace Garden (shown here) lies at the center of the Embankment Greenway and contains a variety of native plants. Students are able to tend and study a variety of food crops such as crops favored by Native Americans and a terrace is devoted to foods traditional among African Americans, as well as native plants which attract pollinators and insects.
Speakers gave us an insight into the Green House Venture operations.
Tom Purcell, President, provided us with background on the organization. Nutrition and dietetics are two of the core concepts with the goal that the students will share this knowledge with their families. He envisions the program as having a long-term impact by providing skill sets that may lead the students to college as a result of this experience.
The program began in 2015 and is one of the first projects of its kind in the Midwest. It was built in response to a directive from the Federal Highway Administration to integrate pollinator-friendly practices into landscape design and programs for managing underutilized roadside vegetation. Terraces allow students to plant, cultivate, study, and harvest produce to cook with their families, using recipes and instruction provided by the Saint Louis University Department of Nutrition and Dietetics. Much of this year’s produce was harvested and donated to Operation Food Search.
Future plans include building a facility across the street which will be used for education and experimentation.
The depleted food crops
The depleted food crops
Chili Peppers waiting to be harvested!
Tom challenged Wild Ones to plant something which can be harvested and spread throughout the community. Based on the appearance of our flourishing plot it appears that there will be seeds available to create native gardens throughout St. Louis!
Wild Ones Terrace area shown below. Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) and Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia humifusa)
Slender Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifoliu) and Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)
Purple Poppy mallow (Callirhoe involucrata)
Don Stump, SLU professor, explained the curriculum, the plantings and pollinator activity. Bee Lab area shown below.
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Goldenrod (Solidago) and Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida columnifera)
Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Nicole Mohler described the signage strategy. Signs identify the organization responsible for each area and include: Wild Ones St Louis, St Louis Master Gardener, Harris-Stowe State University, St Louis Zoo and Alliance Schools and more. In addition, the GHV area is delineated by the green curbs with green fire plugs.
Kurt Keister who represents the landscape company provided an overview of the gardens. In addition to the Terraces, there are two entrance gardens. He coordinates the volunteer groups that maintain the gardens.
Sections of the Terrace Garden are devoted to little-known native plants such as rock grapes, scarlet runner-berries, and paw paws. Indigenous nut and berry bushes provide a wind- break around the terraces, which are ADA accessible for children of all abilities.
Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) growing along the fence line
In the Pollinator Recovery Habitat, children learn about 28 species of native Missouri plants, grasses and wildflowers, as well as the many species of ground-nesting bees that thrive in the GHV’s Embankment Greenway’s nurturing environment.
Beyond the upper fenceline is the highway. Natives are planted between the fence and the highway.
More information is available on the website which was the source for portions of the information above.
