JPS Environmental Learning Center’s People’s Garden Grows Fresh Produce, Learning Opportunities, and Community Impact

Jul 16 2026

A dirt road with tire tracks leads through a garden area with raised beds, towards a wooded background with a small structure.

In September 2025, Jackson Public Schools shared the launch of the JPS Environmental Learning Center’s (ELC) People’s Garden project after receiving a $50,000 grant to create an outdoor classroom and expand environmental learning opportunities. Since then, the project has continued to grow, transforming the ELC campus into a thriving space for learning, sustainability, and community engagement.

The ELC team has built and installed more than 36 raised garden beds, creating more than 1,100 square feet of growing space filled with organic soil. The gardens now feature nearly 40 species of pollinator-friendly flowers, shrubs, vegetables, and fruit-bearing trees, along with composting areas, irrigation systems, and wildlife habitats.

Now, the garden is producing bell peppers, tomatoes, okra, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, and other fresh produce. Since the summer growing season began, the ELC team has harvested several tons of produce while attracting important pollinators, including bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and native bird species.

A dirt path winds through a garden with raised wooden beds in the foreground, leading to a dense forest in the background.

A grassy field with a small building and people gathered under a covered patio is in the foreground, while a dense forest forms the background.

A dirt path curves through a garden with pumpkins in the foreground, leading to a serene lake surrounded by trees in the background.

The People’s Garden serves as an outdoor classroom, giving scholars hands-on opportunities to learn about horticulture, sustainability, conservation, and environmental stewardship.

The project was made possible through a $50,000 People’s Garden grant awarded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, in partnership with the USDA’s People’s Garden Initiative and the Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program.

“The People’s Garden gives scholars the opportunity to explore sustainability, agriculture, and conservation through meaningful, hands-on experiences,” said Coach Jeff Gibson, Director of the JPS Environmental Learning Center.