Cambridge Elementary School Garden

Our school garden has about a dozen raised beds of vegetables, herbs, fruit, and flowers. We have compost containers, an on-site "garden shed" made from an old shipping container.

Most of the users are students in the afterschool program. It is underutilized by the staff and regular students, but appreciated nonetheless. The school has no money to support the garden, but the afterschool program has a small budget. Most of the maintenance is done by myself (a teacher & master gardener) with occasional aid by other master gardener volunteers and students in the afterschool program. 

The public school services a high-density Latino community where 90% of the 700 students are English language learners, and about as many qualify for the free or reduced lunch program. 

Products are harvested occasionally for cooking classes in the afterschool program, but most are just taken home by staff and local families.

The garden received a backyard wildlife designation several years ago. There is a honeybee hive in an old walnut tree that has persisted for many years.