Growing Oshkosh's School Garden Program

Growing Oshkosh's mission is to raise awareness and educate citizens about the numerous benefits of fresh, healthy, local and fair food (and food production) . We are working with the schools in the Winnebago County to bring edible gardens to all schools, beginning with the K-5 schools. GO helps design and build the initial raised garden beds, one for each grade K-5 for a total of six beds. At schools where the elementary and middle exist in the same building, the number of beds can be extended to incorporate the middle school grades levels. We achieve garden installation through partnerships with ReTh!nk (a Winnebago County healthy living non-profit), the school, volunteers, and sponsors. Growing Oshkosh takes care of the construction and beginning maintanence of these gardens, while the community around the schools is taught about how to grow their own food. Over time, GO encourages the adoption and expansion of the garden into the school community's care, while never leaving the school's side as a partner.

Each spring, students grow all the vegetable plants in their own classrooms and transplant them into the gardens. Over the summer, the entire school community is welcome to share in the garden harvest, and many different area programs partake in the care and harvesting of the garden. Finally, in the fall, the students learn about decomposition and help prepare the garden beds for the winter and another year of gardening. The goal is that these gardens will become living outdoor classrooms that provide students a hands-on experience when learning, as well as fresh food for them and the surrounding community.