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Mabelvale Garden Update »Mabelvale Garden Update This past week, Karl Heinbockel and fellow Delta Garden Study interns have had the opportunity to escape the fluorescent lights of the office and work in the bright sunshine at the Mabelvale Magnet Middle School gardens and greenhouse. In spite of the oppressive heat, there is still much to do to prepare for the coming school year at Mabelvale Magnet Middle School. We are removing the residue from last year's crops (and weeds!) and replacing them with a buckwheat cover crop to revitalize the soil. The buckwheat cover crop suppresses weed growth and once tilled in will add important organic material back into the soil. This allows new plants the ample nutrients necessary to blossom with great vigor. Healthy soil has been our focus this summer. In the fall, we will concentrate our efforts at producing a variety of food crops with the help of our students at Mabelvale! In the coming weeks, we will be continuing to clean up and organize the garden and greenhouse spaces so that this school year will be a great one for Delta Garden Study's showcase garden - Mabelvale!

FrontPage Article »See the Progress on our New Gardens! Don't forget to visit our Garden Schools’ webpages for pictures and stories about the progress of our new gardens. Liana, Kevin, Ryan and Cale have been busy developing their sites, planting a late summer garden, and getting to know their communities. Many thanks to all of their community members who have donated materials, equipment and labor!

About The Delta Garden Study »About The Delta Garden Study The Delta Garden Study is a $2 million research study funded by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service designed to prevent childhood obesity and social risk behaviors, and improve academic achievement, in middle school children in the Delta and Central regions of Arkansas.

USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Delta Obesity Prevention Research Unit (Delta OPRU)

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS)is the USDA’s chief scientific research agent. To learn more about ARS, or to learn about other Research studies being conducted by ARS currently, please contact Dr. Margaret Bogle at 501-954-8882 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Delta Garden Study is a cooperative research project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), through the Delta Obesity Prevention Research Unit. Additional information about this research unit can be found here.

Check out the USDA, ARS, Delta Obesity Prevention Research Unit 2011 Arkansas Cooperator Informational Pamphlets.

Arkansas Community Foundation (ARCF)

Arkansas Community Foundation makes grants to improve the quality of life in our state and collaborates with individuals, families and organizations to build local communities through philanthropy. ARCF has more than $125 million in assets and has provided more than $75 million in grants since it began operation in 1976. Contributions to ARCF, its funds and any of its 27 local affiliate offices are fully tax deductible. Visit arcf.org to learn more.

ARCF and Delta Garden Study in the News

Delta Garden Study Uses ARCF Grant to Teach Kids to Cook Healthy Foods

Source: The Arkansas Community Foundation
Published: April 19, 2011
Last summer, Mabelvale Middle School's campus was transformed into a garden laboratory - the first phase in a major USDA-funded experiment to discover whether childhood obesity can be decreased and school bonding increased through...gardening. Read more.