All this summer, Maplewood Richmond Heights Middle School student/gardeners will be at the Schlafly Farmers Market, next to Schlafly Bottleworks, on Wednesday afternoons selling produce.

Melissa Breed-Parks has been the garden coordinator for MRH Middle School for a year. The garden has filled a lot behind the school for two years. 

The garden did so well this year they had extra produce, so Breed-Parks said they thought they’d try the farmers market as a fund-raiser for the gardening program. Last Wednesday was the first time.

The students grew Swiss chard, carrots, beets, cabbage and lettuce, and it was all for sale at the market. Their award-winning honey is there too.

“It won awards at the state fair,” Breed-Parks said. “First place for framed honey and seventh place for bottled, last summer,” she said.

She said they just picked a frame for this year's state fair. The school has four hives, and the students do all the work, all the way to bottling.

“They judge the frame by how well it's capped, which all the bees’ work,” she said. “The bees just make it perfect.”