The Friendship Garden

     More than a decade ago, The Friendship Garden began in an empty,  littered lot. It now hosts apple  and plum trees,  12 raised garden beds, raspberries  and an outdoor learning space for class lessons. Children in grades pre-k to 5th grade, learn about all aspects of gardening from seed  to plant. 

     Classroom teachers incorporate the garden into the school's curriculum, bringing the student's outside to learn about life cycles, ecology, and more in a hands-on way. The garden serves as a living laboratory for students to explore nature, learn about teamwork and healthy eating.

     Our after school garden club runs 3 seasons of the year. Each session, students learn about gardening. They cultivate the soil, , plant seeds, weed and water, and harvest! They also learn about composting and recycling.  Activities include, cooking lessons and demonstrations  by volunteers and visiting chefs.  We often include  shared meals that allow the kids to sit together and share something they've prepared as a community. For some of our students this is the first time they have tasted fresh lettuce or carrots right out of the garden. The look of amazement is wonderful on those "fussy eaters" when they exclaim- This is pretty good!"  Each year we are sure to prepare- fresh salsas and pestos, potato leek soup ( always a hit!)  and plum/berry compote over yogurt, just to name a few favorites.

    Our future plans include growing more crops vertically as we have run out of space.  We would like to engage a tree expert to help us tend our fruit trees. We would also like to hire a FoodCorps worker to help lead lessons and help with the garden upkeep. 

We hope to put in a portable sink this year to make washing our veggies easier. We have no electricity but we do have running water. Everything we cook is  on  gas burners.

We would also like to get more classroom teachers involved in the garden.  Our mission is to expose as many children as possible to the joy and satisfaction of eating what you grew yourself. We hope to help develop healthier eating habits for our students that will stay with them the rest of their life.