Every Saturday during the growing season, the residents of Jackson Park Terrace (JPT) gather in their hoop house to harvest. In the hoop house, the 61st Street Farmers Market Manager and the Head Gardener plant, harvest, and provide the JPT residents with food education programming.

Young and old can enjoy the bounty of fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs the community collectively grew and cared for. The hoop house is a real source of pride and nourishment for the JPT residents. 

For six weeks in the spring and two weeks in October, Emily Cross, the 61st Street Farmers Market Manager, leads a group of third graders from Carnegie Elementary School to the hoop house for their hands-on gardening classes. There, they learn about the seasons, crops, and nutrition. In the summer, the hoop house welcomes teens enrolled in the Blackstone Bicycle Works Summer Camp for a similar curriculum. The hoop house is at the  heart of Experimental Station’s food education efforts.

For the past nine years, Experimental Station has supported the JPT hoop house by providing a Head Gardener to help grow and harvest vegetables and lead gardening instruction. Austin Keating, our current Head Gardener, has been supporting the hoop house since 2016. Several residents contribute their time planting the crops in the spring, helping to maintain the garden plots, and harvesting the crops for distribution to fellow residents. 

“It’s been a wonderful experience to share with and learn from the resident gardeners and members of the Jackson Park Terrace community as the garden has evolved over the years,” shared Austin Keating.

“Each year leaves me more excited to see what the next will bring and who else will get involved.”

This year, Experimental Station also purchased raised beds to upgrade the JPT hoop house garden site, which is located across the street from the future Obama Presidential Center. The raised beds allow JPT adults and families to grow their own produce with Austin’s guidance. Austin has brought life to the site, connecting with the residents and building community. 

Experimental Station is delighted that the new owners of the JPT property—Preservation Of Affordable Housing (POAH) and Jonathan Rose Properties—are committed to and supportive of our work. Together, we aim for the hoop house and its food education activities to become a model for community engagement around food and wellness.