Sometimes, it’s an unbelievably enormous cucumber that appeared in the classroom garden overnight.

In our Little Green Thumbs Teacher Spotlight series, we’re celebrating educators from our National Teacher Award submissions who bring the values and spirit of Little Green Thumbs to life in remarkable ways.

Today, we’re celebrating Tanya Higdon, whose Little Green Thumbs garden is a place for learning, food, laughter and memories that can last for years.

Bringing the Garden to Life

Tanya’s garden begins early in the school year and rarely stops at the expected.

Alongside the classroom garden, she looks for new ways to grow, adding plants such as strawberries or trying potatoes in a bucket. Basil, peas, peppers, cucumbers and other crops become opportunities for students to discover what happens when they plant something, care for it and eventually get to eat what they’ve grown.

Her colleague and nominator, Nancy Corbett, describes Tanya as an educator whose “passion and dedication toward her students” drives her to consistently go above and beyond.

And when the garden is ready to harvest, Tanya makes sure the experience doesn’t end there.

Students have transformed their garden experiences into homemade pizzas, fresh salads and other food-based learning opportunities. Even freshly squeezed lemonade has become part of the fun.

Through these experiences, Tanya connects growing food with healthy choices while encouraging students to take their enthusiasm home—and perhaps even imagine gardens of their own.

The Great Cucumber Surprise

Then there is the cucumber.

Tanya is known for having tremendous success with her classroom gardens. One year, she decided to have a little fun with that reputation.

She secretly bought an extra-large cucumber and placed it in the garden box.

When her students arrived the next morning, they couldn’t believe their eyes.

Had their classroom garden really produced a cucumber that big?

It was a simple joke, but it created exactly the kind of excitement and wonder that makes learning memorable.

How memorable?

Years later, students who are now graduating from high school still talk about it.

Relationships That Keep Growing

The cucumber isn’t the only reason Tanya’s former students return.

Students regularly come back to her classroom as they move into higher grades—to share news, borrow a book, get a hug or simply receive a little support and encouragement. Some return from high school, and former students have remained in contact even after graduation to share how they’re doing and the impact Tanya had on their lives.

Those relationships say something important about the kind of educator Tanya is.

The plants in a classroom garden may only grow for a season, but the curiosity, joy and sense of belonging created around them can last much longer.

Tanya and her students are supported in their Little Green Thumbs journey by Agriculture in the Classroom Newfoundland and Regional Coordinator Maureen Foley, helping connect local classrooms with the broader Little Green Thumbs community.

Through Little Green Thumbs, Tanya has created a place where students can learn about growing food, make healthy choices, try something new—and have a lot of fun along the way.

Little Green Thumbs is proud to shine a spotlight on Tanya Higdon and celebrate the passion, creativity and joy she brings to garden-based learning.

And somewhere, we suspect, there are a few former students who will never look at an oversized cucumber quite the same way again.