Directory of Gardens
Herod Elementary School Garden
| Location | Southwest Houston |
| Main Purpose | Education of students at Herod |
| Established | 2004 |
| To Visit or to Volunteer | Contact Marguerite Dunn - call Urban Harvest for contact info |
Just three short years ago the Herod Elementary School and Community garden was in its’ infancy – an idea finally becoming reality. Now, it is a cultivated habitat with fruits, vegetables, native plants, insects, butterflies and a rainbow of colorful blooms. It beckons schoolchildren and neighbors to come in and explore, admire and learn!
In the Spring of 2004, twenty beds were laid out on the western edge of the school campus. Through the dedication and manual labor of volunteers as well as the support of company sponsors, the garden has expanded with the planting of an orchard in the fall of 2004, and the addition of a pond and bog in 2006. There is a wonderful instruction area with wooden benches, as well as fun problem-solving signs throughout the garden to engage your math skills as you walk among the rows of growing edibles.
As appropriate, the student and teachers have planted and harvested seasonal goodies including beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, squash, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, flavorful herbs for every kind of seasoning, blackberries, figs, Mexican plums, and everybody’s favorite….strawberries! (Just to mention a few of the plantings…there have been way too many to list!)
This unique green space boasts a solar-powered irrigation system and a solar-powered pump which circulates water from the pond up to the bog, which serves as a bio-filter for the pond. Surely, such measures instill pride in youngsters for being good stewards of the earth/environment. This, indeed, is an outdoor classroom. From Science projects to learning your colors, all grade levels can enjoy this stimulating habitat. Teachers embrace the opportunity to provide multidisciplinary lessons in math, science, literature, writing and more.
In the spirit of sharing with their neighbors, Herod Elementary turn their fruitful beds over to community gardeners who grow and harvest with their families, maintaining the garden through the productive summer months while school is out of session.
A recent visit to the site found native plants showing off their colors, an abundance of tall, leafy vegetables reaching for the sun, the buzz of pollination, and butterflies gracefully sailing through the garden – all amidst the animated activity of a group of students! The wonder of it all!
The Herod Elementary School and Community Garden would like to recognize and thank our sponsors/donors and our dedicated volunteers who make this instructional outreach possible. They include ExxonMobil, Pavestone, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Girl Scout Troop 4131, Southwestern Processors Company, Southwest Security Association, Joshua’s Native Plants & Garden Antiques, Southwest Fertilizer, Texas Parks and Wildlife, The Native Plant Society, and the ongoing support of Urban Harvest. Thanks to the labor and ongoing dedication of the Dunn family, the Dominguez family, the Becerra family, the Watson family, the Adisa/Cyrus family, the O’Sullivan family, the Howes family, The Sher/Cumagun family, and the Williams family.
