The New Garden Society

09/30/2026

Our volunteers don’t always get to be together in one room, so when they do it’s a cause for celebration! We recently had a volunteer team meeting, where volunteers who teach at all 3 sites can gather, share successes and struggles, and brainstorm ways to improve programming moving forward. Several volunteers joined via zoom, and are not shown here, but we are always grateful to our educators, many of whom work full-time jobs, for showing up for our students and showing up for our team.

09/23/2026

A big question many of us in the Green Industry get is “what do you do when it rains?”… This is a question we often hear about our programming as well. Most of our programming relies on our outdoor space, and usually, even the lessons are discussed standing beside our garden, seated in a courtyard or under the shade of a tree. Our students rely on, and look forward to our consistency, so we avoid cancellations at all costs. A rainy day can be a wonderful opportunity for our team to get a little creative, making games or activities that can help review and cement previous lessons - like this example of a makeshift plant trivia game!

09/17/2026

What do you think of when you think of gifts of the garden?

We like to think there are many, and while one of programmings’ main goals is vocational skill-building, we hear from our students of the various other ‘gifts’ they take from our lessons. Fresh produce, exercise, time outside, to name a few. What about a creative outlet?
One class earlier this year veered into a discussion around design and aesthetics, and our students collaborated to create this 2D floral arrangement. Without access to vases, water, or snips, our students’ creation of this floral arrangement speaks to their ingenuity, by which we are constantly inspired.

09/10/2026

While the backbone of our programming is our core curriculum, taught by our full-season volunteer educators, we also like to even out the year by providing some extra, non-core lessons. These lessons help students get a broader sense of the many different careers in the green-industry. They also are an opportunity for enthusiastic specialists in their field to share their love for their work. A fan favorite guest presenter joined us late last month, Bill Perkins, of Boston-Area Beekeepers’ Association, to present on bee biology, apiculture, and the role of pollinators in our ecosystem. We are so grateful to the many many green-industry professionals, who may not be able to teach with us for a whole season, but generously lend their expertise and time.

09/01/2026

We have been sitting on some (more) very exciting news! We are honored to be receiving an honorary medal this year from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society !! “This ceremony celebrates a 195-year tradition of awarding medals to individuals and organizations for their contributions to horticulture for the public good”

We are so grateful to Mass Hort for seeing and celebrating the value of our work! Learn more about this tradition, and other medal recipients…

Awarding medals to individuals and organizations for their contributions to excellence in horticulture for the public good.

08/25/2026

It has been a busy summer for our team, between some in-person events last month, the rollout of the Ecologies of Justice Book, and our excitement around our interview on the podcast Cultivating Place. Throughout it all, the gardens have been growing strong. Week after week, through the heat of the summer, our educators have continued to show up, as have our students. We’ve reached the part of the season where we really start to reap the rewards of the season’s work. Here’s just some beautiful produce from just one of our sites. Happy Harvest season to us all!

08/20/2026

POV: You were so inspired and curious after listening to our podcast interview last week that you you pre-ordered your copy of the the upcoming book we’re featured in, ‘Ecologies of Justice: Making and Unmaking Prison Worlds’ to learn more

Ecologiesofjustice.net

08/10/2026

We want to see all our students lives improved by our programming while they are incarcerated, and we also want to see our students have success re-entering society upon their release. However, we know there are many factors working against them. As highlighted in this article, “People exiting the carceral system are 10 times more likely to become homeless than the general population, which partly explains high rates of recidivism for many individuals impacted by incarceration.” Written by a friend of the organization, this article highlights the various reasons we see such high rates of recidivism, and also highlights a key intervention being implemented by Impact Justice
Read on about The Homecoming Project and it’s monumental impact…

This housing innovation is designed to help people reenter society with dignity.

08/05/2026

Next week is a very big week for us! 📣📣📣
We have 2 very exciting dates to look for next week… Mark your Calendar!
1. Ecologies of Justice, the book we will be featured in, goes on presale on Tuesday! Make sure to order your copy, and maybe donate a copy as well?
Details can be found at https://ecologiesofjustice.net

2. Next Thursday, the 13th, our interview with Jennifer Jewell from a while back will air on her podcast Cultivating Place! This was a thoughtful, sprawling conversation that we can’t wait for you to hear, so be sure to go find and subscribe to her podcast now so you won’t miss our episode when it drops! See more about her and her episode archive at www.cultivatingplace.org - and find the episode wherever you listen to podcasts.

Please share and pass these along to your circles, we are so excited for these bits of media to be available to you all!