{Growing Roots at Boys School}
Photo by Anthony-Masterson Photography
One of the most unique farms in Georgia can be found in Chatham County, and it’s run by students at a unique school.
The Bethesda Home and School for Boys was established as an orphanage in 1740 – making it older than the United States of America.
Operated in a boarding school style, it is a “house of mercy” to 120 at-risk boys in grades five through 12.
The young men of Bethesda have several agricultural opportunities that would make plenty of farmers envious. There’s the cattle farm, a 1,400 square-foot greenhouse, and a 4-acre organic garden that’s managed by Reid and Caroline Archer, who apprenticed under and were later employed by Shirley Daughtry, of Heritage Organic Farms.
Before that, the Archers were gardeners with no professional agriculture training. Caroline also teaches Spanish and art at the school.
The Archers and students operate a CSA and farmers market that’s, according to Reid, “still being sorted out.”
“Considering we’ve never managed a farm per se – this is our second year of farming and from what I’ve heard the third year is when you hit your stride – we are still getting there,” Reid says. “We hope to be profitable soon.”
The farm operation is unequivocally successful in other ways. Recently, the Trustees Garden Club gave the school a 1,400-square-foot greenhouse, built at a cost of $56,000, with an irrigation system as well as heating and cooling. The greenhouse will supply seedlings for the organic garden and organic seedlings that will also be sold at Bethesda's farmers market.
Trustees’ Garden Club President Ruth Goldsmith says. “As far as I know this is Savannah’s only source for organic seedlings,” says Goldsmith. “Savannahians can now purchase organic foods that they can be confident are safe, with no pesticides or toxic chemicals. You know where these products came from.”
The farm is also a big success with the students. Food grown at the school is served in the cafeteria. “The kids are learning a lot about food and how it relates to them personally. We’re actually also doing some micro-business with boys in the plant science class, which is taught based off of the Georgia Organics curriculum,” Reid says. “Maybe even a few of them will go into farming. If not, at least they are more likely to think critically about how they should consume.”