Warren County High School Garden

Our school garden program is centered around our students learning sustainable agriculture, raising young people’s interest in farming and growing real food, and also learning to prepare this real food in healthy ways. To this end, we are integrating gardens into class curriculum, starting a small School Supported Agriculture with a group of 20 interested 9th graders, as well as continuing our afterschool Garden Club. We use season extension techniques, organic planting methods, and use food waste from a local restaurant to contribute to our composting system. Those interested in becoming farmers will learn these techniques and how to replicate them on a larger scale in the future. By integrating the garden into the culture of the school and community, our students believe they can contribute to its wellness.

Our Agriscience, Foods, Career teachers, and FoodCorps Service Member all work with classes to learn healthy ways to prepare garden produce. This year we have used the garden harvest in over 20 classes for a pepper tasting, making salsa, raw kale salad, sweet potato wedges, arugula pesto, and healthy collards, among other recipes. Our math classes have used gardens to learn geometry and algebra concepts, shown in the photo where our students are measuring the bed while tilling the soil. With our whole school culture in mind, we provide a taste of the students’ food to cafeteria workers and school administration. Through enhancing our garden program, we will be able to extend these lessons to more classes and students.