Last week, George H. Potter Elementary hosted two mangalitsa pigs to help clean up their eight-year-old community garden.

The unnamed pigs—donated temporarily by the Faulks from Runaway Farm, along with plants and soil—resided in the 40-by-50-foot pumpkin patch between May 2-6. They helped turn soil, eliminate pests, and eat the remaining roots left from the 1,000 pounds of pumpkin grown last fall—all to make room for summer crops.

All week long, students submitted potential names for the pigs. After faculty members narrowed the names down to just a few, the final names will be selected this week.

Fifth-grade teacher and community garden instructor Anne Goodman said the garden was a response to “all of the sedentary testing.” Students learn math by calculating surface area and perimeter for the plant beds; they practice language skills and sentence structure with the dozens of words hung along the pen that can be arranged much like the Let’s Build Sentences magnets, Goodman said.

The garden also encourages problem-solving skills. Students hang decorated seashells from the fencing to scare away rabbits and birds, organic pesticides to keep away bugs, and even started the Student Sunflower Seed Business to sustain the garden. Its first year helped cover the cost of supplies and new plants, and photographer Dolly Genannt helped students brand the seeds with a logo and slogan.

Many kids didn’t know that carrots grow straight from the ground until they were harvesting them, Goodman said. Now, the garden contains carrots, garlic, strawberries, and tomatoes. Goodman hopes to get blueberry plants soon to help attract bees.

This summer, the public can purchase food grown in the garden.