Milton School kindergarteners celebrated the completion of a nine-week organic gardening program at the Bird Homestead by preparing a salad from ingredients they had grown. 

 

Milton School kindergarteners celebrated the completion of a nine-week organic gardening program at the Bird Homestead by preparing a salad from ingredients they had grown. Spinning the lettuce caused great excitement and everyone took a turn.

 

Han Yu Hung, New York Botanical Garden Children’s Program Coordinator, taught the students how to plant, tend, and harvest vegetables and herbs and make compost. She introduced them to some botany and entomology along the way in the “Through the Garden Gate” program.

 

The children especially enjoyed planting a “pizza garden”, which included eggplant, oregano, parsley, basil, and peppers.

 

There were some budding botanists and entomologists in the group, who were observant of the differences in plants and fascinated by insects. Henry Bird was a prominent entomologist specializing in moths and butterflies. Edible gardening was a cornerstone of the Bird family’s lifestyle. They maintained extensive vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and grape arbors.

 

Rye residents Anne Mottola, Osborn School Garden Coordinator, and Kathleen Malone, a home gardener and Bird Homestead Special Events Committee member, assisted Hung.

 

Henry Bird’s children attended Milton School about 100 years ago, creating another historical link with the young students learning to garden at the Bird Homestead today.

 

— Photos by Anne Mottola