Newton South Farm began in 2011 when an eager group of 8 students with an interest in gardening tore up a 10’ by 10’ swath of grass outside the school’s greenhouse and tried their luck at growing some vegetables organically. Today, this 2,500 sq. ft. plot serves as a powerful educational tool and resource for the entire NSHS community. We are a fully functioning business selling to individuals and businesses around the Boston area.

Students operate and manage our four-season garden with following goals:

• To learn about sustainable, organic farming practices and reduce the school’s

environmental footprint.

• To engage with the ecological, economic and socio-political issues that face

small farms in New England.

• To promote local food systems and increase access to fresh produce within our immediate community and beyond.

OUR MICROCLIMATE

We intentionally selected this area of the school grounds for our garden to take advantage of a beneficial microclimate that helps us extend our growing season.  The south-facing plot receives many hours of uninterrupted direct sunlight, even on short Fall and Winter days. The school building and the wooded area behind our shed act as natural windbreaks and shield the garden from warmth-sapping winds. The building also absorbs radiant heat from the sun and returns it to our soil, helping to thaw our plant beds earlier in the Spring and delaying their freezing in late Fall. The gentle slope of the garden helps it drain in heavy rains and keeps plants from casting long shadows on one another.  

Part of our winter growing season includes using our greenhouse to create warmer temperatures so that we can grow during the colder months. Our greenhouse team grows a variety of plans including flowers, thyme, lettuce, parsley and microgreens (cress, mustard greens).