Red Sox bring Fenway Farms Rooftop Garden to Boston Children’s Museum
BOSTON, MA – The Red Sox today announced the creation of Fenway Farms at Boston Children’s Museum, a replica of Fenway Park’s rooftop garden. The new, satellite space at Boston Children’s Museum will provide produce and herbs for the facility and hands-on educational opportunities for area youth to learn about sustainability and the life cycle of plants and how they influence the environment around them.
A ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled to take place this Friday, November 19, at 3 p.m. will mark the completion of renovations to the new, 1,100-square-foot space on the Museum’s second level overlooking the plaza. Fenway Farms at Boston Children’s Museum is scheduled to open to public programs in the Spring of 2022.
“I grew up with a garden that supplied our family table, and I never lost my passion for fresh, local food,” said Red Sox Foundation Board Member Linda Henry. “Creating Fenway Farms six years ago on an old, empty roof of a 100-year-old urban ballpark was a way to show that we can expand our imagination of where our fresh food can come from.
“Now it is just thrilling that our incredibly productive Fenway Farm is growing from our ballpark to Boston Children’s Museum, bringing the educational and environmental benefits of a rooftop garden to the epicenter of learning and fun for our children. I can’t wait to share the science of growing plants and the love of fresh, local produce with even more members of our Boston community this Spring.”
“We are thrilled that the kids and families who visit Boston Children's Museum will be able to learn about gardening and growing sustainable plants and vegetables. It is our hope that these lessons will inspire them to become environmental stewards,” said Carole Charnow, President & CEO. “We are grateful to the Red Sox Foundation for making this extraordinary learning experience possible for our visitors and look forward to our continued partnership.”
In addition to the number of environmental benefits, Fenway Farms at Boston Children’s Museum will serve as a teaching tool for visitors of the Museum on the importance of healthy eating, sustainability, and the local environment. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore and play in the garden and have tactile experiences with the soil and tools used to grow and maintain the plants.
The garden will change seasonally and will include plants and vegetables, some of which will be shared with the Museum’s animal life, including red leaf lettuce for the turtles on exhibit. Excess produce harvested from the site will be donated to Lovin’ Spoonfuls, a Boston-based nonprofit organization that distributes fresh, healthy food that would otherwise be discarded.
Fenway Farms at Boston Children’s Museum has been created with the support of The John W. Henry Family Foundation, The Werner Family Foundation, and the Red Sox Foundation.
In 2015, the Red Sox created Fenway Farms, a rooftop garden behind the Gate A Fenway Park façade that has been growing over 4,000 pounds of food each baseball season since its creation. Produce and herbs grown in Fenway Park’s rooftop garden are used at concession stands and club restaurants at the ballpark.
Two companies, ApexGreen Roof and Green City Growers are responsible for the installation and planting of Fenway Farms at Boston Children’s Museum. Apex Green Roof prepared and installed the garden planters and irrigation system, and Green City Growers will maintain the garden during its growing season, planting and harvesting the produce and herbs.