School Gardens

Springfield Public Schools:
​Established Garden & Farm Projects

Working with Springfield Public Schools, SFPC encourages and supports the construction and maintenance of school gardens, and works to integrate gardens into school curriculum. ​

The following are some garden models available for implementation:
  • Raised Beds
  • Converted tennis or basketball courts or any large plot of land for a farm
  • Large garden planters
  • Indoor gardens with window boxes and grow lights or greenhouses
Picture
A Success Story…
Brightwood Elementary School recognized it was time to do something when repeatedly, children stated that they didn’t eat vegetables and some couldn’t even name a green vegetable.  

Brightwood Health Center in collaboration with the Elementary School, secured funding through the UMass School of Public Health to put in a garden.  Being that the school doesn’t have a lot of usable land, they asked the All Soul’s Church next door if they would be willing to allow the school to utilize some of their land.  They happily agreed, and in the Spring of 2012, 18 raised beds were built: one per classroom (see the above picture).
 
The first year tomatoes, carrots, beans, cilantro, pumpkins, basil, sunflowers, chard, beets, onions, and potatoes were planted. All the children helped with the planting.  Over the summer, a number of families helped maintain the gardens and were welcome to partake of whatever they picked.  By the end of the summer, the school purchased picnic tables so families could sit and enjoy the space.  With the Fall, the students were back and Brightwood held a garden party to celebrate its first gardening season.  
 
Brightwood is continuing with their gardens and have secured funds for future plants and curriculum.  School Sprouts, a local gardening education organization, has instituted curriculum in each grade, so that children can experience academic subjects in a fun way while growing and becoming familiar with vegetables.
What is school gardening?
School gardening engages students by providing a dynamic environment to observe, discover, experiment, nurture, and learn.  School gardens are living laboratories where interdisciplinary lessons are drawn from real life experiences, encouraging students to become active participants in the learning process.
​
Why school gardening? 
Learning in a school garden teaches the fundamentals of three important issues: nutrition, agriculture, and outdoor activity.

It’s the ultimate interactive, hands-on, multi-sensory curriculum.
  • Gardening enriches every subject area, from arts to social studies, including special education classes.
  • Children who learn to grow their own food make healthier decisions about what to eat.
  • Gardening  teaches cooperation, responsibility and patience, and increases self-esteem.
  • Gardens  offer a unique way to incorporate the greater community into school activities.
  • Gardens beautify the school and instill pride in students and school staff. 

Research in support of school gardening shows that gardening:
  • Increases science achievement scores
  • Improves environmental attitudes
  • Improves life skills, including working with groups
  • Increases interest in eating fruits and vegetables and improves nutrition knowledge and vegetable preferences
Picture
William N. DeBerry Union Street
TABLETOP GARDEN MODEL

Outdoor classroom that contains perennial beds planted and maintained by the science teacher and custodian.

The site includes three raised beds for classroom use enclosed in a wrought iron gate.

Picture
German Gerena on Birnie Avenue
COMPOST & RAISED BED MODEL

Facilities helped students build beds in the Park on Main Street
Utilized by the Science teacher        
Other schools with raised beds includes Zanetti since 2008

Picture
Kennedy Farm Project
Berkshire Avenue

The dream of science teacher Ron Carriveau, Patrick Sullivan and Mike Tully worked with Ron to design four 40’x100’ beds in an old tennis court behind the school. 
A hoop house was also donated (See p. 12)
Facilities hired Hope Guardenier from School Sprouts to work with John , Ron, and the students to build the soil, plant winter cover crops, spread compost and plant garlic.
21st Century grant students worked all summer in the garden, and fall classes are in the garden harvesting and planting cover crops.
Springfield Public Day Elementary Nye Street
OUTDOOR PLANTER MODEL
      
The nurse and Gym facilitated the implementation of a garden. Facilities placed six cement planters next to the school. John Alphin, the gardening coordinator, held verma composting classes, then set up compost bin to kick off program. When planters arrived the students weeded them, added compost, and planted plants. Summer school students maintain the garden and eat the produce
Picture
INDOOR GARDENS

Teachers volunteer to adopt a grow light system with window boxes in their classrooms

Students prepare the soil, plant seeds, and water daily

The school tastes the produce once it is mature

Can also be used to grow seedlings to be planted in an outdoor garden in the Spring