The FarmSTED

The Center for Urban Agriculture at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, OH

What is The FarmSTED?

St. Edward High School's campus farm, affectionately known as FarmSTED, has quickly become a cornerstone of our educational and community service initiatives. In its inaugural year alone, the garden produced 425 pounds of fresh produce! Today, the program thrives, with students, faculty, and community members all benefiting from this vibrant, bountiful project. All Edsmen are welcome to participate in the planting and care of the garden—a process that gives them a comprehensive understanding of plant life cycles and the effects of temperature and water on growth. They also find great satisfaction in knowing that the produce they cultivate is donated to those in need. This hands-on initiative fosters valuable skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork. The FarmSTED cultivates various foods for charitable distribution and sales, including eggs, fruits, and vegetables.

Our Story

The farmSTED encompasses all of the agro-ecology and sustainability initiatives at St. Edward High School: a vegetable garden, efficient drip irrigation system, composting, vermiculture, chicken coop, beehives, pollinator garden and small food forest. The seed of the idea for the project was planted in 2020 by a group of motivated students who wanted to learn how to grow vegetables. In the spirit of experiential learning, student involvement has been and will continue to be key to the program’s growth. And in alignment with our core Holy Cross values, the entire operation functions as a social enterprise: farm products, or money earned from selling those products, gets donated to local hunger relief agencies (specifically Lakewood Charitable Assistance Corporation and Lakewood Community Services Center).

Our Partners

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