Trenton Grows Educational Garden
Installation design; urban agrarian design
Trenton, NJ
Collaborators: Trenton Grows Inc., Victoria Covert
Client: International Academy of Trenton Charter School
Status: Completed Spring 2018
With the nonprofit, youth-oriented community gardening organization Trenton Grows, we established a “Garden Club” for first- through fifth-grade students at an underperforming charter school in Trenton, New Jersey. We held twice-weekly meetings with about 25 to 30 student volunteers between the ages of six and 12, with the intended goal to facilitate educational experiences in gardening, nutrition, and fitness. With the help of the students, we collaboratively designed, built, and operated a small, temporary educational garden on the school’s grounds using mostly recycled materials and a budget of approximately $1,000. Through this hands-on process, we introduced the students to every phase of the organic gardening process, from seed to harvest.
The temporary garden, built on a vacant concrete lot, was composed of the following elements: 
Germinating seeds during our first Trenton Grows “Garden Club” meeting
The existing site (pre-garden), across the street from the pickup/drop-off entrance of the school
A curvilinear snake of recycled tires spray-painted light colors to decrease thermal absorption (and thus preserve water), circumscribing an informal gathering space for Garden Club meetings; topsoil delivery in background; fertilizer bin not pictured
“Garden Club” participants fill the tire planters with topsoil and fertilizer…
Planting non-edible flower seeds and seedlings to aid in the local pollination ecosystem
Leftover tires as exercise hurdles, also used as an impromptu seating area; ten unbleached canvas bags on a row of three tarp-covered standard-size shipping pallets (with tarp protecting plants from absorbing chemicals leached from treated pallet wood)…
Filled with topsoil and fertilizer…
Planting and watering edible fruit and vegetable seedlings, including lettuce, swiss chard, collard greens, tomatoes, strawberries, and more
Weeding, watering, taking care of our garden, and playing hopscotch
Celebrating our successful harvest with friends and family
A participant marvels at the “magic” that came from a simple handful of seeds, placed in soil, with plenty of water and sun
Saying goodbye, and sending participants home with the fruits of their labor
Unfortunately, the school closed permanently at the end of the 2017-’18 academic year
An endearing drawing given to us by a Garden Club participant
