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Replanting after Winter Break
1/8/26

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Cooke City School replanted the hydroponic system the afternoon of Wednesday, January 7th, 2026. For this second round, we selected two plant species native to Montana, and one species native to the Pacific Northwest that has successfully naturalized itself in Montana, as well as across North America.

Pineapple weed (Matricaria discoidea) is well established at Cooke City School. In the summer, the plants grow wild all around the compost enclosure fence. The students love the sweet pineapple smell that is emitted when the leaves are crushed. 

 
Wild mint (Mentha arvensis) is native to Montana. When walking along streambanks and through wet meadows, we typically smell it before we locate the plant. 
 
Miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) is native to Montana. I look for this plant when crossing springs and seeping drainages that are shaded by taller vegetation. The leaves provide fresh greens during my backpacking trips in the local mountains. 
 
We have never attempted to grow these plants from seed, so this will be a trial run for us. Using the resource Native American Ethnobotany by Daniel E. Moreman, we are researching the many ways Indigenous peoples use these plants for food, medicine, fiber, and other purposes, including during ceremonies. We’re hoping Linwood and Randall can share more specifically about these plants. The massive reference book is a great resource, yet fails to bring the plants to life, as Linwood and Randall do through their extensive knowledge and stories connected to the plants. 
 
Last growing round with the lettuce and basil, we noticed the plants needed a lot more water once their leaves started to flourish. This round, we are going to track the amount of water usage alongside observations of plant growth. 
 
Fingers crossed that our experimental seeds germinate! 

Week Five and Havesting

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The attached photos were taken 5 weeks after planting the seeds. We harvested the plants on Monday, December 1st, sending a beautiful sack of mixed lettuce home with the students. We’re curious how the lettuce will regrow. 

Two weeks after harvesting the hydroponic lettuce, it’s back and as full as can be! We’ve been tracking the amount of water used since we harvested on December 1st. 
 
Amount of water needed to fill the GardenCube to Max 3.0L:
12/04/25: 750 mL
12/08/25: 600 mL
12/11/25: 800 mL
12/15/25: 1,100 mL
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3,250 mL / 11 days = 295 mL water used / day

Following winter break, we will most likely replant. The plants are using a lot of water. The level of water in the small holding tank drops significantly after only a few days. Because of winter break, I’ll either find a caretaker for the system or will stop growing and restart with new seeds in January

Cooke City School’s hydroponic plants look incredible!!

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This picture was taken yesterday, 4 weeks from initial planting of seeds (actually 2 days shy of planting to be exact). 

I was uncertain if the basil would be happy in our cold classroom. However, the system’s lights add enough additional heat. The black plastic is 10-12 (F) degrees warmer than our classroom. The leaves of the plants are ~5 degrees warmer, making for an acceptable Mediterranean climate. 

We’re using a handheld infrared thermometer to measure the surface temperature. Our classroom is heated by a small boiler system set at 65 degrees. All objects (table tops…etc) read a consistent 65 degrees, except under those powerful little LED lights.

Two Weeks of Watching our Hydroponics System Plants Grow

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Our Hydroponics Unit Has Arrived

Picking up the unit.
Picking up the unit.
Dissolving the plant food.
Dissolving the plant food.
Soaking the seed pods.
Soaking the seed pods.
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Putting pods into the unit.
Putting pods into the unit.
Power on.
Power on.
This is so cool!
This is so cool!
I see you too.
I see you too.

This morning, the students and I picked up the hydroponic growing system from the post office. It was a chilly 6 degrees; thus, the students’ stellar expressions in the photo with our between-season shutdown town in the background. The Exxon gas station is the only business open right now between Cooke City and Silver Gate, plus two hotels. 🙂  We’re a frozen modern ghost town. 

Learn more about our school HERE

Located adjacent to the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park, Cooke City is a small mountain town surrounded by wild spaces. About 100 hardy residents call the Cooke City–Silver Gate community home. Three different wilderness areas and the park surround the small grid of homes and businesses, making the nearest town with a grocery store a 1.5 hour drive away (one-way), so growing fresh produce inside the classroom and growdome is a must.
 
Cooke City School is a one-room rural Montana public school, serving grades K-8. One-room school means there is one teacher who teaches all subjects for all grades. Due to the unique educational setting and the many natural and cultural resources surrounding the Cooke City area, a place-based approach to learning works well. Yearlong multidisciplinary units of study that take the students outside to apply their knowledge in real-world experiences deepen classroom instruction to engage all learners.

Cooke City School's
Closed Loop Food System

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