Three raised-bed organic gardens at Linworth were built during the 2000-2001 school year to support the BESS1 curriculum and provide an opportunity to learn sustainable living skills. A Linworth Eagle Scout, Adam Rice, and his family provided the lumber and constructed the frames, and students voted to spend money from the Town Meeting fund to purchase topsoil to fill the gardens.

Each year the beds have been maintained through student activity, and food harvested from the garden plots has been used to make the vegetarian chili that is part of the Chili Supper fund-raiser held each November.

We have used the garden plots to raise a variety of vegetables to observe as plants go through their life cycles, comparing root systems, stem and leaf development, and seed production. No artificial pesticides or fertilizers have been used on the plots. Instead, natural methods, such as planting marigolds around the perimeter (as an insect repellant) and use of "hot pepper spray" to reduce leaf miners and other insect pests have been employed.

The beds were established by placing multiple layers of newspaper under the frames to kill the grass, then the frames were put in place and overlain by landscape cloth. Then the beds were filled. The students mixed playground sand into the topsoil and added organics (peat moss) to improve the porosity and soil fertility. Soil tests have been conducted annually, as well.

Plant waste from the raised beds is composted over the winter and mulch is worked back into the soil to prepare it for the next growing season. The emergence of "volunteers" (plants arising from last year's plant seeds) have also been observed, demonstrating the natural cycle and resilience of plants in an established growth environment

Even tough we use the "organically grown" tomatoes for the vegan chili, we also accept donations of extra tomatoes from the community for a second batch of vegetarian chili. Anyone who has spare tomatoes for other produce at the end of the summed is asked to donate them to the school. Carol and some students will can and/ or freeze the produce for the batches if vegetarian chili.

In 2003-04, some herbs were started, and in 2004-05, the Food class will plant more herbs to experience the tastefulness of fresh-grown herbs in cooking. Flowers were also grown in the garden pots, simply because they are pleasant and appealing.