Visit to the Farm at Walker Jones

Today we went visited our urban farming partner at the Walker Jones School off New Jersey Avenue in Northwest Washington, DC.  They have approximately 5/8 of an acre on the school property that they began farming last year.  This year sports much bigger plans!

The Walker Jones School, which educated kids from kidergarten through eighth grade, is a brand new facility that straddles the under-served communities of Shaw and the rapidly growing areas of the Mount Vernon Triangle and NoMa.  The farm project was very popular last year with the students and the program will grow to serve even more children.  In the works are an outdoor teaching center, additional planting beds, an orchard, a berry stand, and BEES.

DC Honeybees helped the Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District donate a hive to the school to support and facilitate their farming curriculum.  DC Honeybees will have workshops for the children to teach them the benefits of bees, the biology of these bugs, and about harvesting their products.

This is the hive we supplied.  The school's art teacher has asked that we bring the boxes to her  so that the children can paint them.

While visiting we got the opportunity to discuss the future of the farm with new farm manager Sarah Bernardi.  Here is Sarah with MVT CID Executive Director Bill McLeod:

We found an excellent location for the bees.  Thank you Mount Vernon Triangle CID for supporting our mission!