Winter Sowing!

Convert spring fever into spring seedlings with Winter Sowing! For “winter sowing”, we plant seeds in milk jugs or other semi-transparent plastic containers. Placed outside in January or February, these mini-greenhouses expose seeds to the cold temperatures that some wildflowers and other perennials need to experience before germinating. How about broccoli, kale, or dill? The […]

WZZM-13 On Your Side visits H.O.P.E. Gardens at Oriole Park Elementary

Our Programming…“helps them to see, now I can be a food grower,” H.O.P.E Gardens Lead Teacher Holly Smith stated during an interview with the WZZM 13 On Your Side television crew last week. “I can have a garden, I can encourage my family to have a garden. We can all grow food. Everybody can.” Echoing […]

Team 21 is Garden Planning!

At West Godwin, our team facilitated an engaging garden planning session for first and second-graders. Using creative materials like refried beans for soil, carrot sticks for fences, corn and black beans for seeds, shredded cheese for compost, and broccoli for plants, the students had a blast refining their planning skills while crafting miniature “gardens” that […]

AUTUMN GARDEN TIP: TIME TO WINTERIZE!

As the winds whirl around the fallen leaves, it’s time to ready our gardens for winter. Before we embark on this task, let’s savor one last fresh autumnal feast: spinach, kale, and collards acquire a sweeter taste with a touch of frost. Additionally, you can continue to harvest root crops like beets, carrots, and parsnips during […]

Bountiful Harvest at Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center’s School Garden

At the Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center, green thumbs were out in force as students teamed up with H.O.P.E. Gardens for a rewarding harvest. Pumpkins, seeds, carrots, tomatillos, basil, tomatoes, radishes, cucamelons, sunflowers, marigolds, and zinnias were among the treasures plucked from the thriving school garden. The excitement was palpable as bags were filled to the […]

A Day of Discovery at Oriole Park School Garden

Excitement radiated through the Oriole Park School Garden as eager children finally stepped into the octagonal oasis they had helped to plant and tend in May and June. Over the summer break the garden had transformed beyond recognition, now a symphony of sunflowers, zinnias, and cosmos, inviting pollinators and students alike to partake in its […]

MSU Students Tour H.O.P.E. Gardens

The rain didn’t keep this group from MSU’s Organic Farmer Training Program from touring our garden at Kent ISD. As we strolled through the gardens they sampled cucamelons, borage, lemon basil, and Concord grapes. We shoveled soil from the regenerative garden to compare it with the soil outside of the garden and noticed threads of […]

New Garden Friends at Kent ISD

Upon discovering the established garden on the property of their new school building, Empower U students at Kent ISD expressed a keen interest in contributing. Julie Brunson, Executive Director of H.O.P.E. Gardens, extended an invitation for them to participate in our garden volunteer days. The endeavor proved to be a resounding success for everyone involved. […]

Senator Winnie Brinks Visits Our Garden

In a heartwarming show of support for nutrition education and food equity, Senator Winnie Brinks and her assistant, Kate Kooyman, recently visited the Gladiola Elementary School garden. This visit not only emphasized the value of hands-on nutrition learning but also demonstrated how school gardens have the potential to transform access to fresh, wholesome produce for […]

FitKids 360 Harvest Fest

This week families in Fitkids celebrated their gardens’ summer harvest with a dinner in Marquette Park’s gazebo. Once just tiny seedlings, plants are now stretching ever higher, filling the boxes and climbing trellises in this very green community garden. The Fitkid families, together with HOPE garden staff, planted and now tend six garden boxes. The […]

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