Edible Schoolyard Brings Garden, Kitchen To Kids (Slideshow)

Schoolchildren receive two gardening classes and one kitchen class a month.

The "ramada," where students begin and end each garden class (and occasionally have tastings).

Extra produce is sold by students at an after-school farm stand.

The children hung bird feeders ("not for squirls") by an Asian pear tree.

In the meantime, volunteers and staff keep up the garden.

One particular volunteer is Joe, an alum of P.S. 216 who graduated in 1989, who gardens every day.

Children learn how to compost, recycling used food to create soil for their gardens.

Compost bins designate the stages of composting each batch is at.

More than 60 varieties of plants are grown on the half-acre site.

The hoop house encases 720 square feet of usable gardening space for inclement weather.

The garden serves 600 students, pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, teaching them to grow, harvest, and prepare produce (and enjoy fruits and vegetables, too).

Last year, the garden produced more than 2,000 pounds of produce; at its peak, it should produce approximately 3,200 pounds of produce a year.

Inside the greenhouse, which has a slanted roof to collect rainwater to irrigate the garden. It also contains a sink, tabletop, and composting station, along with six growing tables.

The kitchen, complete with an oven, three refrigerators, one freezer, one pantry closet, one washer, one dryer, and a sink with a dishwasher.

The greenhouse doors lead out to the garden.