Weekend Spotlight: Garden Building at Conant Elementary

There's much to do over the weekend in and around the Bloomfield area. And since it's tough to always plan ahead, Patch is here to help.

So far this week, we've looked at:

• The Bowers Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch
• Second Saturday Book Sale at Bloomfield Township Library
• Afrizo Performance Showcases Kenyan Culture in Bloomfield

Today's pick: Build a School Garden at Conant Elementary

Where: Conant Elementary School

When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday

Why Go: Conant Elementary and the Bloomin' Kids Preschool will host community members that want to pitch in and help build a school garden behind the building. The group will assemble seven cedar-raised beds that will be filled with soil and covered with two bean and pea teepee forts. There will be one raised bed per grade at Conant and one for Bloomin’ Kids students. Another will be dedicated for herbs. Families from both schools are encouraged to help take care of the garden over the summer months by signing up for dedicated times.

An irrigation system will be installed after the construction, which will be rescheduled to Oct. 16 in case of rain. However, the forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a high temp approaching 80 degrees. Any finishing touches or uncompleted parts of the project will also be addressed that day.

The goal is to have children involved in every step of the process and learn the origins of real and healthy food. The school and PTO raised money for the project and materials were donated by the Goldner-Walsh Nursery, DMF Bait Company c/o the Scheuring family, Bloomfield Township Public Works, English Gardens, the MSU Oakland County Extension Office, Conant’s 2^nd grade Brownie Troop # 75156, Conant’s 1^st grade Daisy Troop # 74702, Marmalade Hills Skincare, and the Wyman, Long, and Kupelian families.

Are you or your child participating in this event? Do you have a camera? Send us a snapshot of your 'green thumbs' and we'll post it on Patch!