Seeds, Seeds, Seeds, Seeds
By Kathy Bego, Garden Educator Seeds you could peel, pry open, and peer into with magnifying glasses—searching for the tiny leaves and roots hidden inside. Seed diagrams to color in: 🔴 Red for the seed coat 🟢 Green for the embryonic leaf 🟡 Yellow for the cotyledon food pack 🟤 Brown for the root A […]
Dreaming in Green: Godfrey Elementary Students Design Their Own Gardens
The young gardeners at Godfrey Elementary Team 21 after-school program let their imaginations bloom as they designed their very own dream gardens! After an inspiring garden planning presentation by Ms. Angie, students eagerly got to work, armed with paper, vibrant seed catalogs, and plenty of coloring supplies. With their thinking caps on and creativity in […]
Reflecting on 2024 and Growing Together in 2025
As 2024 comes to a close, we’re proud to reflect on a year filled with growth, education, and community impact. This year, HOPE Gardens reached 2,641 students in garden and nutrition classes that inspired young minds and fostered a love for healthy living. From engaging students to hosting workshops and our successful heirloom plant sale, […]
Putting Our Gardens to Sleep for the Winter
As the growing season comes to an end, it’s time to tuck our gardens in for their winter rest. Recent mulch deliveries at North Godwin and Lee Middle helped us prepare the soil for the colder months, ensuring it stays protected and nourished. These two gardens needed a little extra attention, but luckily we had […]
October Garden Lessons: 1st and 2nd Grades Discover the Joys of Gardening and Healthy Eating
In our indoor sessions in 31 classrooms of first and second graders, we explored the question, “What’s so great about gardening?” Together, we discussed the benefits of growing our own food and the importance of making healthy choices. This led to a lively conversation about “Sometime Foods” and “Anytime Foods,” helping students understand which snacks […]
Growing Dreams: A New Community Garden for Families & Neighbors
Last week several dreams were fulfilled as a new community no-till nature-based garden was installed. The dream of a dear friend of many, Theresa Drost, was realized as children joyfully prepared the land to begin a new garden where families will come together to grow food and community. The dream of Family Network who envisions […]
A Family School Garden Adventure at STEM Night!
We loved being a part of West Elementary’s STEM Night, showcasing the beautiful garden that students helped create! Families enjoyed a fruit salsa tasting and were given a kid-friendly recipe cookbook before heading out to explore the school garden. For many parents, it was their first time seeing the garden, and their children proudly led […]
Garden Detectives on the Case: Uncovering Nature’s Secrets with All Five Senses!
This year, 3rd and 4th graders from four Wyoming elementary schools are embarking on the Great Garden Detective Adventure! In their first lesson, the young detectives used their five senses to gather clues about the fruits and vegetables growing in the garden. As part of this exploration, they tasted a variety of produce and used […]
Julie’s Fresh Heirloom Tomato Salad
This tomato salad recipe is inspired by my nature-based garden in Michigan, where a variety of heirloom tomatoes brings vibrant color and fresh flavor to every dish. We started gardening this way over a decade ago, and now it’s a lush, thriving space that yields beautiful fruit with minimal effort. At this time of year, […]
Sip & Savor: An Heirloom Tomato and Mocktail Experience
We had an unforgettable evening in the garden, celebrating the beauty and flavors of heirloom tomatoes and refreshing mocktails (non-alcoholic) crafted by mixologist Michael Bryan, featuring fresh herbs from the gardens. Guests delighted in an Heirloom Tomato Tasting, savoring and comparing a variety of flavorful heirloom tomatoes grown at H.O.P.E Gardens. They also enjoyed fresh […]