Bellport High School students enrolled in Allison Schelin’s Adapted Education Living Environment class have been growing and harvesting vegetables in the library’s hydroponic garden.

The hydroponic garden was made possible through a 2020 Agriculture in the Classroom Grant from the Suffolk County Soil and Water Conservation District. Through the grant, the district purchased a Tower Garden Flex, which contains the structure for the hydroponic garden.

After they assembled the tower garden, the students germinated seeds in rockwool and later transplanted them to the hydroponic structure. From that point forward, the students maintained the garden by testing the water’s PH levels, refilling the reservoir and adding nutrients.

The garden was so successful, that students were able to harvest the produce and prepare harvest snacks in the library, library media specialist Colleen Oates-Robesch said. They also made salads, as well as tomato, basil and mozzarella skewers. The harvest was abundant enough so that students were able to bring produce home to their families.

“Providing students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to grow food and/or consume fresh produce is the focus of the grant,” Ms. Oates-Robesch said.