Moss Haven Farm
Moss Haven Elementary, located at 9202 Moss Farm Lane in Dallas and part of the Richardson School District, has a School Farm that is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization (https://www.mosshavenfarm.org/). The Moss Haven School Farm has been a Dallas County Master Gardener project since 2012. The farm celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2022!
Dallas County Master Gardeners are key to meeting the farm’s goals which include students learning how to grow nutritious food, cultivating respect for the earth, and creating a lifelong interest in responsible environmental practices. Master Gardeners help instill excitement about the benefits of insects on this fabulous city farm and emphasize better food choices.
The farm has grown to 23 raised beds for the classes and in 2021 the tired wooden beds were replaced with attractive and durable Vego Garden® (https://vegogarden.com/) beds. A long mural depicting scenes from the school farm was just painted along the walkway.
Other growing areas at the farm are best described as a pollinator garden, Blackland prairie with wildflowers, herb beds, and a large row crop area for producing more veggies. The farm is also now growing more fruit like blackberries, persimmons, plums, and figs, and has plans for a small peach orchard.
Chickens of many breeds live in a chicken coop on the farm and select members of the school’s 4-H club show the hens at the State Fair of Texas each year. When the pandemic precluded showing chickens at the State Fair, a Master Gardener staged a private poultry show for students at the school. She also coaches the students when they show the chickens. They currently have 19 chickens!
Approximately 500 students go to Moss Haven Elementary School. MGs have taught and assisted them with topics that include: insects, tagging Monarch butterflies, the life of Mason bees (https://citybugs.tamu.edu/2021/06/17/the-native-mason-bee/), herbs (with lessons timed around Thanksgiving), planting potatoes around Presidents’ Day, and, occasionally, poultry lessons. Coming out of the pandemic, Master Gardeners are ready to pick up where they left off in 2020 and engage again with students by teaching three fall and three spring lessons.
Several weeks in June are devoted to a fun, day camp experience for kids centered on many activities on the farm. Master Gardeners will continue offering their wonderful “water brigade” throughout the rest of the summer, and otherwise working at the farm on Saturday or Sunday community workdays and on recurring scheduled weekdays during the school year.
Here are a few quotes from students at Moss Haven Elementary about their school farm:
“I love the farm because we do science and I love science.”
“I like the farm because it grows vegetables and fruit and things like that keep us healthy.”
“I absolutely love all the bugs and the food.”
“I love the farm because of the chickens.”
“The farm is important because we give food to the North Texas Food Bank.”
