The Mission Branch Teaching Garden

On Friday, October 16, from 3:00 to 4:00pm, students in the second and fifth grades of Marshall Elementary School will begin planting the first seeds and seedlings in the new Mission Branch Teaching Garden! A partnership between the Mission Branch library's children's room, Janet Moyer Landscaping, Garden for the Environment, and the Mission Greenbelt Project, the teaching garden will be a resource offering the Mission Branch's community the opportunity to learn about growing food sustainably in an urban environment. Garden for the Environment will be offering workshops in the garden on planning, maintaining, and harvesting food crops. Additionaly, the teaching garden will provide local schools with a resource for hands-on science lessons and other potential partnerships with programs such as Eat Ur Veggies at Mission High School. Lia Hillman, Interim Children’s Room Manager of the Mission Branch Library, organized the partnership and envisions intergenerational programs with seniors and/or teens working with children. Program offerings could include harvest celebrations, cooking and nutrition classes, and how to grow food in San Francisco.

The Mission Branch Teaching Garden is a response to Mayor Gavin Newsom’s directive to grow food on the City’s unused land. The teaching garden also fulfills the San Francisco Public Library’s desire to help the City go green, which it is doing through its Green Stacks program. In partnership with SF Environment and Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, Green Stacks empowers all library users to live a more eco-friendly life. Learn more about the Green Stacks program here.