The Greenfield Garden Club is not just for Greenfield residents: “We welcome people from Franklin County and beyond,” said Club President Laura Schlaikjer. Let’s take a look at two ways the group encourages gardening, and hopes to continue for years to come, since they prioritize connecting with youngsters to help ensure a robust agricultural future in our area.

The Greenfield Garden Club maintains an ongoing grant program, and the Gill Elementary School is the latest recipient of the group’s largesse. Yet anyone can benefit this very weekend from the group’s generous spirit as they host their 28th Garden Tour. The tour is scheduled for this Saturday, June 8, with Sunday slated as a rain date (but that’s only in case of torrential conditions, dear readers, not drizzles or sprinkles!). Formerly an annual event, the Garden Tour now occurs every other year, offering visitors access to stunning horticultural presentations.

For many home gardeners, preparing for a steady stream of visitors might constitute the stuff of nightmares, given that conditions can suddenly shift from presentable to frowsy in a matter of days, depending on rainfall, temperatures, and the availability to get out there and do the heavy lifting. Yet in the interest of sharing beauty and inspiration, several brave souls work hard to make the Garden Tour a success.

Those wishing to immerse themselves in gorgeosity can embark on the tour, and visitors with limited time can choose a hasty approach, checking out each site and jumping back into the car to head to the next destination. But to truly soak up the beauty, a slower pace is recommended. Touring living works of art at a leisurely pace can lead to absorbing peace and awe while taking in vibrant colors, lovely shapes, intoxicating fragrances, and impressive designs.

Norm Hirschfeld is this year’s tour coordinator. “All seven gardens are in Greenfield,” he said, “although that’s not always the case. Each one has been on previous tours, although for some, it’s been a long time.” A garden site can change dramatically from year to year in the care of an expert, or even a dedicated hobbyist.

Tour tickets are on sale for $10 Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the John Zon Senior Center; the self-guided tour runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ticket holders receive a map and descriptions of each garden. The most geographically efficient strategy is to start at No. 1 and proceed through to No. 7, “but people can do it the other way around,” said Hirschfeld. For those who enjoy a good nosh, however, keep in mind that refreshments are at No. 7.

This year’s tour includes a plant sale open only to ticket holders. Ever the diligent club leader, Schlaikjer emphasized that — in light of concerns about spreading jumping worms, or Amynthasagrestis — plants for sale come from two Garden Club members and “are guaranteed to be clean. They were started in greenhouses and handled very carefully.”

Schlaikjer and Hirschfeld were winsomely secretive about tour details, but divulged that one location offers a magnificent view of Greenfield, a large labyrinth, perennial borders, a Japanese-style bridge, and a pagoda. “Another site has a wonderful pollinator-attracting garden,” said Hirschfeld, who added that one of his favorite tour aspects is that “everybody tackles different gardening problems and has different approaches. (The tour) is a good venue to ask questions and a great way to get ideas.”

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Hirschfeld’s introduction to gardening came in 1994, “the same year Marsha and I got married,” he said of fellow Club member Marsha Stone. “I joined a community garden in Waltham.” Hirschfeld was hooked, even though gardening comes with challenges. “In Waltham, we had a woodchuck problem,” he said, “but it was a great group, and (members) created fabulous gardens.” Hirschfeld credits the Greenfield Garden Club with inspiring him. “I’ve picked up a lot of ideas,” he said, “especially during Garden Tours.”

Proceeds from the tour and plant sale go toward the Club’s grants and other programs, which brings us to the next topic. “We want to encourage the next generation and reach as many children as possible,” Schlaikjer said. “Gardening activities can fit into a science curriculum and have a broad impact.” Hence the Club’s decision to approve the grant application from Gill Elementary School (GES).

GES Principal Walter Huston learned of the Farm to School Initiative (F2S) through his involvement with Vermont’s Shelburne Farms, located along the shores of Lake Champlain. Huston calls Shelburne Farms “my happy place. It’s a working farm with a focus on education for sustainability, which includes F2S programming.” The farm hosts a three-day conference to help schools implement F2S programs in their districts. “Our Food Service Director, Molly Brooks, registered (some GES staff) to go to a Shelburne Farms conference last June,” said Huston, who learned that there’s also a Massachusetts F2S program which, like the Vermont program, supports schools and districts wanting to help students make healthy choices with food selection and to connect local farms with schools.

While the principal at a Marlow, New Hampshire school, Huston developed a mission to educate students about the environment, economic sustainability, and social justice. His involvement with F2S feels like a perfect fit: “It helps students realize where food comes from and connects them with community members. It also educates about and addresses food injustice.”

The Greenfield Garden Club grant enabled GES to purchase sign frames for their garden beds, including mixed herb and butterfly-attracting beds. “Students do the artwork, and we slide the signs into holders,” said Huston. Schlaikjer noted: “It can be relatively easy to get plants and seeds, but harder to obtain signage and tools.” That’s where the Club gave the school a boost.

One key to success is the involvement of Gill farmers, including Faith Rand, a GES instructional assistant, and Sorrel Hatch, manager of Upinngil Farm. Hatch’s three children attend the school, making them the third generation of family members to do so. Hatch joined the F2S committee “after having been a rogue agent,” she said. “I’d been helping out in the school’s garden whenever I had a little time.” While farmers are busy pretty much all the time, Hatch’s family lives next to the school and her family walks to GES each weekday via a well-loved nature trail. “I’ve just been doing things (in the school garden) that needed doing,” said Hatch, “but now I have actual committee members I can communicate with.”

Students, teachers, and farmers do one project per week, “often a small project,” said Hatch. “We planted potatoes at the end of a school day, just before dismissal.” They started an additional garden club that meets once a week after school. A perennial challenge with school gardens is what happens during summer break. “It’s important to have fun during the summer,” said Hatch, “but school gardens often turn into weedy messes.” The plan is that participating students and their parents/guardians will help Hatch keep things in shape this summer.

The Greenfield Garden Club offers small grants to groups and organizations located in Franklin County, according to Schlaikjer. “Previous grants have typically ranged from $50 to $300 and have included libraries, recreation departments, after-school programs, summer school programs, and community gardens.” She encourages those with projects involving gardening, plant science, ecology, or related themes to apply by visiting the website: Thegreenfieldgardenclub.org

Sorrel Hatch sees many benefits to gardening with school children: “It’s important for kids to feel grounded and to have a place where they’re recognized and secure. It’s vital for their mental well being. We want them to feel like school will always be a safe place they can come back to.”

Hatch appreciates that her hometown “is so beautiful, as is the space around the school. Our nature trail goes down to the brook, there’s a field of wildflowers, and a vernal pool to explore in the spring.” Hatch wants those in the school community to appreciate the area’s beauty and to participate by being stewards. “That’s my goal: to give them roots. You can’t give to others, you can’t be generous unless you feel secure. It’s a fundamental thing that I instill in my children, and I want other kids to have that.”

Eveline MacDougall is grateful that she grew up in and around her family’s garden and farm, and has passed that legacy on to the next generation. She’s the author of “Fiery Hope,” and an artist, musician and mom. To contact: eveline@amandlachorus.org.