Harvest Day: The first crop from Hillcrest Garden

There is a particular kind of noise a classroom makes when it is about to be let outside. Last Thursday, Hillcrest Primary made that noise — because it was Harvest Day, and the carrots were finally ready.

Eight months ago, that patch of ground behind the school was compacted earth. Today it produced two hundred kilograms of carrots, spinach and kale, every last one of it destined for the school kitchen.

The first taste

The students did the harvesting themselves, in shifts, under the watchful eye of our field agronomist. By lunchtime, the vegetables were in the pot. By half past twelve, they were on the plates of the very children who had pulled them from the ground.

"It tastes better because we made it," one twelve-year-old told our team, mouth full, entirely correct.

Why school gardens matter

Hillcrest is the forty-second school to complete our Seed to Table program. A garden does more than add fresh food to the menu — it turns a meal into a lesson, and a child into a producer rather than a recipient. Students who grow vegetables tend to eat them, and to ask for more.

The garden will now supply the school kitchen with fresh greens for most of the year. Our team will stay on for three years to support the teachers and the parent committee who will eventually run it alone.

Growing the program

Forty-two gardens is a good start and a fraction of what we hope to build. Each new garden costs around $500 to establish, including tools, seed and irrigation. If your school or company would like to fund one, we would love to hear from you.