Our Memphis Fling is in the books. I want to share some of the wonderful spots we visited in a few posts. Monday was an extra day. It started with a visit to a school/community garden. My first thought was that we were going to see a few raised beds per grade level in an area adjacent to the school. Boy, was I wrong!! It was a feast for the eyes! I felt like we entered a park or a botanical garden. Pathways are set up to encourage you to explore the garden.
This is an acre lot on a corner across the street from New Hope Academy. This is not billed as a community garden but a school farm. I was lucky to grab an information sheet to learn more about this farm. Walk with me through the farm as I attempt to share how amazing this farm is.
 |
| Flowers and groundcovers |
It was started in 2013, working with just a vacant lot, to a lush, vibrant, colorful wonderland. It is not just row crops but herbs, a sensory garden, a carnivorous plant area, a pollinator alley, and a few bee hives. Lots of planning went into setting up the gardens.
 |
| Progress photos of building the farm |
The mission was to engage the students, working the soil and learning about where much of their food comes from. The goal was to create a place that is inspirational, educational, and awe-inspiring for both the students and the teachers. There are no limits to educational experiences. The teachers' lessons can be incorporated with what is going on in the garden, anything is possible! One example was the observation and measurements taken from growing cabbage heads.
 |
| Row crop rows bordered by flowers |
Each grade level plants a different flower or food crop in the spring. I chatted with the principal who had a child in the third grade this past year and he was telling me how this grade level grew cabbages and each child had their own head. The cabbage wasn't quite ready to harvest when school ended, so those who were really invested in their cabbage came back after school to harvest it. According to the information sheet, Pre-K and Senior K grew onions and sunflowers, First grade-okra, Second grade- Luffa Gourds, Third grade- Mega Cabbage (apparently this was part of a nationwide competition), Fourth grade- Cucumbers, and Fifth grade- watermelons. There is also an After School Garden Club that grew peppers, eggplants, zinnias, tomatoes and other annuals. A few crops still in the garden were Kale, which had bolted but nice blooms for the pollinators, Fennel- a wonderful host plant for butterflies, and asparagus which is a perennial.
To participate in the After School Garden Club the 4-6th graders have to apply. This is a more in depth group and they farm multiple seasons. To encourage further interest in the farm there is a Summer Internship for middle- high school students. They are hired to work 10 hours a week to learn some of the behind the scenes work of the farm.
 |
| Big Blueberry bushes |
Items grown on the farm are used in the kitchen cafeteria, though it is not enough to solely supply the kitchen with produce. In addition to row crops, there are blueberry bushes, fig trees, Asian persimmon trees and lots of herbs. They encouraged us to pick some of the blueberries as they were at peak ripeness. Very tasty!!
 |
| Ripe Blueberries |
I believe I was told that the bee hives were worked by the Interns, though I didn't write it down, so I could be wrong. There are two active hives where they keep bees and harvest the honey. The honey is sold as a "Pay What You Can'' method as well as extra crops that is shared with the community.
Along side of the row crops are flowers galore. The desire is to bring pollinators into the garden. In addition to the blooms near the crops, there was also a butterfly way that had all sorts of host plants for all needs of the butterfly- from nectar to food for the larva to a spot to lay its eggs.
 |
| Kale with blooms |
 |
| Great signage for the Sensory Garden |
 |
| Herb Spiral |
The Sensory Garden had multiple plants to engage the students with scent, touch and sight. The Herb Spiral was built to accommodate dry to moist conditions, depending on where in the spiral the plant is located. We were offered herbs to make our own flavored dips. We were given various herbs and a mortar and pestle to combine with yogurt for our dips. Then we had crackers and veggies to taste our concoctions. This activity was also one they do with the students.
 |
| Herb experimentation with yogurt |
 |
| Long view of the farm |
I chatted with the horticultural director about the carnivorous garden. There are pitcher plants- Sarracenia alata, Venus flytraps- Dionaea muscipula and Sundew-Drosera sp. They were planted in a dip in the land, lots of sand, soil, peat and an underlayment of heavy duty plastic. The low side of the dip allows the excess water to drain naturally. Kids are always intrigued by carnivorous plants.
 |
| So many blooms! |
There is a sitting area for a makeshift classroom under some Bald Cypress trees. It started raining a little bit, and we were dry in our classroom of trees.
 |
| Cypress circle classroom |
Beyond the farm area, past the bees is a forest area. The invasives were removed and paths created so the students can explore. There really wasn’t enough time to cover the whole garden before we had to leave. Please enjoy the photos of this glorious farm. What an asset to the school, the community, and Memphis.
 |
| Bee hives and forest beyond |
 |
| Labyrinth garden and a photo bomb |
The farm has a couple Instagram pages- @Newhopememphis and @the.holistic.mystic
©Copyright 2025
Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for
The Queen of Seaford.
words and photos by Janet, The Queen of Seaford.
