Students grow well in an edible schoolyard

The dime tour of a small urban farm starts with a quick discussion of how not to crush things.

"The space in between the vegetables is the walkway," 15 -year-old Shanequa Pulley told me. "So when you want to replant something you don't step on what you planted."

"It's really good for harvesting," added Stephanie Sandoval, also 15.

"Right here are onions," Dennisha Clark, 14, said, pointing them out. "This is new lettuce. This, I think, is romaine."

They grew it all here, a strong softball toss from ball fields at Norview High School in Norfolk. The freshmen are among 10 teens who have built and maintain an "edible schoolyard," similar to an effort that began years ago at a Berkeley, Calif., middle school.

The work here aims to inspire entrepreneurial spirit, and keep kids engaged in something good.

"It gives them an outlet and keeps them out of the street involved in negativity... and it helps them mature," said Contrina Pulley, Shanequa's mom and a city police officer.

This past week, the students began harvesting the organic produce, under the watchful eyes of grown-ups such as John "Farmer John" Wilson, a farmer from the Beach.

Wilson is starting a nonprofit to do projects such as the one at Norview, and to educate people on reasons for a local food system, especially small and organic farms.

The Norview project fell into place when Shauna Tonkin of Regent University, who secured federal funding, met Bev Sell of the Five Points Community Farm Market. She got Tonkin in touch with a farmer, a marketplace and chef.

Some of the student-grown produce was sold Saturday at the farm market under the name "Pilot Produce." The first sale was a $1 bag of beets. I'm told some food will go to restaurants, too.

During the tour, the students glanced at Farmer John, who approved their accurate descriptions with a nod or kind word.

The teens were proud of their plot, and why wouldn't they be? Not every kid in the city gets to make something grow.

"We do have some cilantro," Sandoval said.

Good for salsa.

"Those plants over here are collards," she said.

"Did you tell him about the herbs?" Farmer John asked.

"This one is... dill?"

"Yes," Farmer John said.

"Yes!" Sandoval said.

Farmer John explained it would be good at the market to have tips on preparing the food. "Be ready to tell them about cooking any of it," he said.

I can't tell you any of these kids will run farms. But they're learning, doing and thinking big.

"I want to run my own business someday," said Clark, the teen who is the CEO of the student company that runs the edible schoolyard.

On Saturday, some proceeds from what they sold were gathered. The money will be invested in future crops. With community support, there will be many more to come.

(For details, reach Tonkin at (757) 226-4590.