“The Irvington Garden started about 25 years ago. We started noticing that the special education kids were having behavioral issues, and we said, ‘You know what? We have this whole area: why don’t we get them out here, working?’ And once they started gardening, they really enjoyed it. It was the perfect place for them to be able to get outdoors and get their hands dirty. We found ways to incorporate classroom things into time in the garden. We used to have the blue planter boxes for math — we had them measure and draw out the boxes, and then they painted the wood. By doing something like this, they were able to take ownership. They were able to take care of it a little more.
Having this garden around here has been a blessing for everybody. I have pictures from way back when — it was all blank. The back was all weeds. But then, around that time, there was a student who had passed away, and the class next door decided to do a memorial garden. And the kids took care of it again; they took ownership, honoring one of their classmates.
As for the plants we work with, a few years ago, the back fence used to be covered with grapes. The students got to see them grow, and when we took them all down, they made grape juice. And we had tomatoes; they would plant them in the spring, and when they came back to school in August, they would make salsa. We’ve also had carrots, radishes, and watermelon in the past. We still have a peach tree, and it’s getting a lot of peaches this year. Flowers are also a main part of the garden, because, as my grandma always told me, the more flowers you grow, the more you have to give.
As part of the construction planned for Irvington, we’re going to start fresh with a new garden. The district might put some money towards it. The biggest challenge is time. Depending on who the special education teachers are, the classes spend different amounts of time gardening — it’s hard work, and it’s sometimes even challenging to get adults involved. But the garden has become so important to the school — even during lunch, some kids have a hard time and walk around the hallways, feeling like they have no place to go: with the garden, they can just come here, and it’s nice that we can know they’re okay. We’ll start with a blank slate soon. I don’t think it will be as lush as the space we have here starting out, but we have a gardening club, and classes able to help.”
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