Cape Breton students attempt to re-create Mabel Bell’s historic gardens

Grade 4 students from Baddeck Academy honed their green thumbs on Tuesday, and 'dug up' a little history while they were at it.

The class was at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site to plant some of the things Mabel Bell would have grown in her own garden at Beinn Bhreagh, more than a hundred years ago.

"We tried to re-create Mabel Bell's garden,” said student Abbigail Phillips. "We planted parsley, tomato, cucumber, strawberries."

The class has been working with the Alexander Graham Bell Foundation to learn about gardening, along with food safety and security.

Many consider Mabel Bell to have been ahead of her time on those topics, and the idea was to impart some of her lessons to the youngest generations.

"They've had lots of practice growing seeds in their classroom,” said foundation board member Eric Favaro. "Next year, we're hoping to develop a resource for Grades 6 and 7 and then continue to build it right up through high school."

Over the past couple of years, Cape Breton University scientist Alana Pindar has been trying to replicate Mabel Bell's garden based on her diary entries and the plants that still exist on her and Alexander Graham Bell's 19th century property.

The question is, what might these students, who are growing up in the social media age, have in common with a woman who died 100 years ago in January?

"Creativity, inspiration, all of those things that are so important to us today just like Mabel and Alexander Graham Bell,” Favaro suggested.

With grading day coming soon, it wasn't a bad way to finish off the school year, though the students’ time with the garden isn't done yet.

"Now they will watch these over the summer grow as they develop and mature,” Favaro said.

“I’ll definitely be doing some more planting,” said student Hazel MacDonald.

In the end, it was a chance for past to meet present, while planting the seed of inspiration.

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