Outside Learning Spaces

The Giving Garden

Back in 2019, with a property having sold behind the school, we knew we'd lose access to our garden back there, so we developed another relationship with our neighbor to the south and —with enormous help from parents and community members—built a new garden. It's double the size of the old garden, and half of the garden will be devoted to donations to Willing Hands, and the other half will be saved for student and community consumption.

Gardens take substantial investment and a wee bit of sweat. They require someone or some group to plan and organize the layout. They benefit from multiple people who dig, who plant, who weed, who nourish, who tend, who harvest, and who enjoy the vegetables and flowers. In the end, after all the work and nourishment, the garden can be put to bed to wait for the next cycle.

How much of a garden produces waste that can't be returned to the earth? How about that for a model of efficient use of resources?