SHRHS agricultural science teacher Tiffany Morey and her plant science class are working with the wall
By John Tredrea, Special Writer
It’s not the title of another campy flick on the Sci-Fi television network. It’s the name of a portable, environmentally friendly device used to grow green vegetables and herbs.
It’s a Mobile Edible Wall and it is the focus of one of a series of events in schools around the state this week planned by the state Department of Agriculture.
South Hunterdon Regional High School agricultural science teacher Tiffany Morey and her plant science class are working with the wall, on which the Department of Agriculture program will focus tomorrow, Friday.
State Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher said the fourth annual Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week will be held Sept. 22-26 to celebrate partnerships being built between state farmers and schools and encourage schools to buy produce from local farmers to incorporate in school meals.
"We applaud the schools that have worked to incorporate more nutritious Jersey Fresh fruits and vegetables into their meal programs," said Mr. Fisher. "Farm to School Week celebrates how far we’ve come and looks forward to bringing more local produce to New Jersey school children in the future."
Ms. Morey said Monday that the mobile edible wall "is on wheels. We can grow plants anywhere you can back it into a wall and plug into an outlet."
The wall is six feet high and can easily be moved around by one person. On it are dozens of boxes in which the vegetables and herbs are grown.
"The plants on the wall can get light from a halogen bulb that’s built into the wall," she said. "At the school, we store the wall in our greenhouse, so we don’t have to use the light bulb while it’s being stored. It’s more environmentally friendly that way."
The wall also recycles water in another environmental feature. "There’s a water tray on the top, from which water trickles down to water the plants," she said. "A catch basin on the bottom catches any extra water, which we recycle."
The plant science class that maintains the wall is growing several kinds of lettuce, cabbages, spinach, basil and other herbs and greens. The school’s cafeteria and culinary classes use some of the items grown on the wall.
"We wheel the wall to them on regular visits," Ms. Morey said.