The students at Wylam Elementary will “learn the foundation of growing from seed to soil, in addition, which crops grow well in a traditional space and which crops grow well in raised beds,” said Mrs. Thompkins, Wylam Elementary’s principal. “Students will also learn the importance of rotating crops and planting trap crops to avoid insect damage to the plants. Additionally, they will be taught how to use a watering schedule and learn when to water, and when not to water.”

With a mission to support youth in the areas of housing, health, hunger, and education, RSM and KidsGardening have been working together over the past year to help build and maintain youth gardens across the country.

Across the country, more than twenty-five RSM offices are volunteering in youth gardens in their local communities. Volunteers are weeding, planting, and helping school and community gardens with general garden maintenance.

In Birmingham, Alabama, RSM and KidsGardening collaborated to award a $10,000 grant to Wylam Elementary to create a school garden. Together, the organizations designed and built a new garden space within Birmingham City Schools. More than 40 volunteers joined the effort, transforming an unused grassy area into a vibrant school garden and outdoor classroom.

To create this incredible space, volunteers removed more than 2000 square feet of grass and added landscape fabric, edging, and crushed granite to create a defined garden space. After that, the volunteers got to work constructing and assembling the garden features.

The garden includes thirteen raised beds, a whiteboard, four picnic tables, two sun sails, a garden shed, a memorial bench/rose garden, and a pollinator garden section.