Windom High School Tower Gardens: Windom, Florida
Windom High School’s Tower Gardens – Growing Future Leaders One Leaf at a Time!
At Windom High School, students aren’t just learning about food—they’re growing it! Thanks to an innovative hydroponic setup, the Greenhouse Management class is cultivating fresh, healthy produce using 30 state-of-the-art Tower Gardens. These futuristic vertical gardens allow students to grow vegetables without soil, turning their classroom into a high-tech indoor farm!
Why Tower Gardens?
The choice was easy! Tower Gardens take up minimal space, are energy-efficient, and provide a hands-on learning experience for students. Plus, with LED lighting, the system maximizes plant growth while using less power—making it a win-win for both the school and the environment!
A Unique Learning Experience
Each student is responsible for one to two towers, managing everything from planting and daily care to harvesting. This hands-on experience isn’t just about growing food—it’s about understanding plant physiology, nutrition, and even the science of pH levels and nutrient uptake.
The best part? All that fresh, student-grown produce goes straight to the school cafeteria! Imagine eating a salad at lunch knowing your classmates grew the greens—that’s farm-to-table at its finest!
From 10 to 30 Towers – A Growing Success!
This project started with just 10 original Tower Gardens, equipped with cage-style light fixtures. Due to its success, the school expanded to 30 towers, upgrading to the latest LED-lit models, which make harvesting and cleaning easier. Now, the school harvests an average of 40 pounds of fresh greens every week!
While they’ve experimented with different plants, leaf lettuce steals the show—it grows quickly and produces enough to feed the entire student body. Other crops take longer to mature and wouldn’t supply enough food to meet demand.
What’s the Buzz?
Students love it! They take pride in their work, enjoy seeing their harvest used in meals, and love promoting their fresh, high-quality produce in the cafeteria. Teachers, parents, and even the local media are blown away by the impact of this project!
What’s Next?
While they don’t plan to expand beyond 30 towers, there’s talk of dedicating a tower for growing herbs for the school’s culinary class—imagine students cooking with fresh basil, thyme, and rosemary straight from their hydroponic farm!
How Was This Possible?
This incredible program was made possible thanks to grants and generous donations from local businesses. Their support has allowed students to explore the future of farming while promoting healthier eating in the school.
Want to Set Up a Similar Project? We Can Help!
If you’re inspired by Windom High School’s success and want to bring Tower Gardens to your school, community center, or organization, we’d love to help! Contact us today, and let’s grow something amazing together!