About Turner Organic Garden
The Turner Organic Garden (TOG) is an integral part of Woodstock School’s Outdoor and Environmental Education Program. Closely affiliated with the Hanifl Centre, it is overseen by the Head of Outdoor Education and provides an invaluable learning resource for students in both the Junior and Senior School. While it will be primarily used by the Science Department, particularly Environmental Science classes and in units on environmental issues in General Science courses, this facility can provide teachers in other disciplines with an outdoor classroom that stimulates questions and responses on a range of subjects.
While the TOG is a fully functioning agricultural project, the primary objective is not to create a self-sustaining plot of land that grows vegetables and other crops. Instead, the garden provides Woodstock students, and guests from other schools, an opportunity to work with the soil and understand the principles and practices of organic farming. In addition to growing organic produce, the garden will nurture indigenous species of fruit and fodder plants, demonstrate methods of soil conservation and environmentally responsible irrigation techniques. The TOG offers many facets of experiential learning, from composting to pushta wall building. It also becomes a venue for service-learning activities, such as the cultivation of nursery plots for reforestation projects.
The TOG Learning Centre, situated at the centre of a ridge next to the spreading shade of a walnut tree, is an ideal place for students to gather and discuss the many lessons that surround them. The architecture of the Learning Centre reflects traditional Garhwali architecture and will provide a space for day visits and overnight camp-outs by classes, advisor groups and clubs. This facility is primarily designed for the use of Woodstock students but can be used by other school groups. It will contain a variety of learning resources, including maps and diagrams of the garden, exhibits of traditional implements, materials for soil sampling, weather monitoring, and various examples of appropriate technology.
