University Park Elementary School Garden

Teaching the Next Generation about Nutritious Food Grown by Strong Communities

Project Lead: Dr. Heidi Scott

Sustainable communities know how to make the most of their limited resources. In suburban Maryland, the need to teach the youngest learners in K-5 public schools about how to grow their own nutritious food goes hand in hand with the benefits of spending time outdoors with friends. 

The new UPES Community Garden is developing six raised beds for vegetables, a pollinator garden, and an outdoor classroom for teachers to share their wisdom across the subjects under the shade of the maple tree. In time, we hope to develop rainwater harvesting and beekeeping in the garden space. Our first growing season will be in 2026. 

The garden project is supported by the Whole Kids Foundation and the UMD Arts for All grants program. The Town of University Park also received an Action Grant from Sustainable Maryland to develop the Community Garden infrastructure.