In fall of 2025, after a one-year hiatus, Greening Greenfield is happy to report that the Greenfield Middle School Garden Club has restarted with School Councilor Shona McMorrow leading and teacher Julie Erickson, the 2022 and 2023 leader, now in a supporting role. GG volunteers sometimes make an appearance to get our hands dirty, and we have funded this endeavor for several years.

In the fall of each year, students harvest what was planted before they left for the summer, such as beans and potatoes, or in October 2025, thirty adorable cucamelons! (see photo below)  They cut flowers for bouquets, and herbs for drying.  They plant outdoor overwintering crops like garlic.  Then the last stages of outdoor work include planting bulbs and garlic, weeding, cleaning, mulching and covering the beds for the winter.

Although they are outside whenever possible, don’t think it all stops when the snow flies, because the Middle School has a greenhouse!  Lessons continue indoors, and after the microgreens, other seedlings are started, getting ready for spring.

March brings the green shoots of the garlic outside and seedlings such as tomatoes get started in the greenhouse in preparation for the school-wide plant giveaway.  Radishes and peas can be planted outside first in the raised beds while students also might plant seeds for scallions, Thai hot peppers, bachelor button flowers and basil.

Students learn how to transplant seedlings properly, in order to ensure a smooth transition to a larger pot, or later to outdoors.

For the rest of the spring we’ll be back outside – planting, weeding, tending, watering (and eating!), hopefully filling the raised beds with bounty to last through next fall.

On Friday afternoon, November 6, 2020 Jayme Winell, English Language Learner (ELL) Teacher and new Garden Club coordinator at GMS, gathered a dozen or so students, a couple of teachers, a parent with a special 5-year-old participant, a couple of GG volunteers, and a special volunteer — principal Lynn Dole —  to kick off a project aimed to create a more pollinator-friendly environment on the school grounds. Everyone worked together to take the first steps in the plan.  Two previously-developed raised beds on the north side of the GMS building were raked clear of leaves, measured out and planted with garlic and herbs. New beds were built.  Several of the students also cleared the area on the front side of the building to plant tulips around the brick Greenfield Middle School sign.  The students were very enthusiastic and were hard workers. Each were provided plants to take home to nurture and grow on their own. 

Over the years, the Garden Club has evolved to focus mostly on food crops, with the emphasis each year shifting to meet the needs and desires of the advisors, and the students.  Sometimes the focus is on human relationships with the land, sometimes on farm & garden to table (snacks!) and in 2025 we know a focus will be on community-building and having fun with peers that does not include screens.