Cultivating curiosity
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu
Terra Kissel and Dave Tyler, who are Anoka County Master Gardener volunteers at nearby elementary schools, share gardening tips and resources.
Planting seeds of learning
Two University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners from Anoka County are cultivating more than just plants at local elementary schools: They’re growing community connections and environmental stewardship, one student at a time. Terra Kissel, a medical devices industry professional, and Dave Tyler, an elementary school substitute teacher and Army veteran, have transformed school grounds at Eisenhower Elementary School in Coon Rapids and Jefferson Elementary School in Blaine into thriving pollinator and vegetable gardens.
The program targets fourth- and fifth-graders who can safely handle gardening tools and grasp the complex relationships between native plants, pollinators and ecosystems.
From vision to reality
Skippers are highly attracted to this blazing star plant, one of many native species Dave Tyler has added to the garden in Blaine.
Kissel’s idea began with her desire to work more closely with students in her neighborhood schools, particularly after witnessing the struggles many faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially envisioning a vegetable garden, she embraced the principal’s suggestion to create a pollinator garden. The program evolved organically from a small grant-funded project to a comprehensive gardening experience.
Tyler joined the effort after moving back to Minnesota following 20 years of active-duty Army service.
A substitute teacher at Jefferson Elementary and a father of three children in the district, he says, “My first priority, post-Army life, was to learn to garden and become a gardener. I really wanted to find a way to promote community. What better place to start than with kids?”
He has seen the garden club break down typical social barriers among students. “Having worked here for a few years, you see the different cliques of kids come together. They’re probably not normally communicating as much in the normal school setting, but within Garden Club, they are gardening together.”
Beyond the classroom
Terra Kissel helps students understand why native plants are valuable to pollinators in relatable terms, “Different types of pollinators are drawn to different types of flowers, which have different benefits. Kids understand that they would not want only carrots or only cupcakes available to them all year round.”
The gardens serve as living laboratories where students can apply concepts they have encountered in the traditional curriculum. Children arrive already knowing about the decline of the monarch butterfly and the importance of pollinators, but the program helps them understand practical solutions.
“They can now hear these scary things and know that they can have an impact on them,” Kissel explains. “The principal said to me, ‘This is amazing. You’re instilling executive skills in these kids.’”
Tyler emphasizes the importance of expanding knowledge to include garden site selection, soil types, and how native plants support different pollinators.
The students consistently surprise both volunteers. “They know so much already,” Kissel notes. “All kids are scientists, right? They already come in with curiosity, so we pull what they know from their minds and sow some new ideas.”
Harvesting success
The vegetable gardens produce impressive harvests, including tomatoes, tomatillos, bell peppers, jalapenos, basil, onions, beans, giant sunflowers, pumpkins, watermelons and zucchini. In Coon Rapids, produce is distributed weekly to families through the summer Adventures-Plus Program. Elementary school students curiously sample tomatillos straight from the vine.
“It’s been amazing to hear from parents and grandparents to see their kids eat something that they probably wouldn’t eat,” Kissel explains. “It’s no-risk because it’s free. We always encourage them to take a bite.”
Growing impact
The impact extends far beyond the students involved. Parents email principals expressing appreciation, teachers use the gardens for yearbook photos and community members walking their dogs stop to admire the plants. One neighbor requested seed heads to plant at home, and later returned with donated supplies for the program.
“It’s pulling staff members together of shared interests, parents into the community. All stakeholders of what community is are slowly being absorbed into these gardens,” says Tyler.
The success has inspired interest from other schools, with Kissel receiving requests to help establish similar programs. Fellow Anoka County Master Gardeners provide essential volunteer support for maintenance, creating a network of experienced gardeners who also learn from observing the school installations.
As the idea pollinates other school communities, the most important seeds these Anoka County Master Gardeners plant could be in young minds rather than their garden beds.
Garden capers
Terra Kissel says the elementary school students she works with are thrilled to plant and eat nasturtiums. Their flowers are prized for their bright coloring and peppery taste, adding pizzazz to salads and pesto.
“Did you know you can eat the seed pods?” Kissel says. “They can be harvested and fermented to make capers.”
Become a Master Gardener
Volunteers are needed in all counties in 2026, but are especially needed to grow Master Gardener volunteer programming in the following counties: Brown, Cass, Freeborn, Grant, Jackson, Kittson, Koochiching, Mahnomen, Nobles, Pope, Red Lake, Roseau, Wabasha and Wilkin.
