The Hillsdale Garden Committee is a group of parent, faculty, student and community volunteers that came together in the fall of 2021 with big plans for the Hillsdale community. This ambitious group of Huskies began their work with cleanup around the school grounds. In April of 2022, they set their sights even higher, working with contractors and families to begin the garden project that would become an amazing 40 x 40 foot fenced outdoor garden with 7 raised garden beds for planting.
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To kick off the first ever growing season in the new garden, on Earth Day 2022, every student at Hillsdale got involved, hands in the soil, helping to plant over 300 plants donated by the Chester County Food Bank. Students also planted their very own zinnia seeds to take home and inspire them to start their gardens at home!

Over the next 26 weeks, the plants started to grow and produce their veggies and fruits, creating the lush garden the committee had envisioned. Many students were involved in watering and gardening in the mornings before their school day started. Students in different classrooms took part in many activities to use the garden’s space. Some looked at how the plants grow by creating their own greenhouses with ziplock bags and wet paper towels. Others used the garden’s space as a quiet area to read and yet others used it as a place to hold after-school activity meeting.

​During the summer, the Husky families rallied together, signing up to take on a week at a time of watering, weeding, and harvesting. This was a big task, but the Hillsdale community came together to make it happen. Through all of these efforts, we were able to donate over 800 pounds of produce back into the West Chester community!

Our Huskies learned a great lesson in helping their community, but they were also able to taste foods straight from their own garden. They were able to try new herbs and leafy greens that they had once crinkled their noses to. They were able to watch the plant that they had planted grow, blossom, and produce fruits that they later got to harvest. They learned lessons about insects and how they help pollinate and protect plants. They learned how to protect the plants from those insects that destroy the plants. They learned how some plants have a symbiotic relationship with other plants. They counted monarch caterpillars, chrysalis, and experienced the lifecycle of those insects. But most importantly, they learned how to work together in a community to make good things happen.​

We had an amazing first year in the Hillsdale Garden, thanks to the Chester County Food Bank, Hillsdale Huskies, and the many, many volunteers that gave their time and energy to help beautify and cultivate their school. We have big hopes for our 2023 garden and would love for you to join us!