Our Garden

The McKinley Elementary “Octopus’s Garden” began in 2007, with a group of dedicated families and staff. Over the years and with the support from hundreds of students, families, teachers and staff, our garden has evolved into a beautiful serene setting, complete with murals appropriate to an “Octopus’s Garden”.

All students grades K-5 visit the garden on a weekly or bi-weekly basis during the “wheel” classes. Students have an opportunity to plant, harvest, and eat food grown at McKinley while learning about soil, life cycles, and so much more!

Check out our Octopus Garden Video

Did You Know?

Our Garden collects 3,000 gallons of water every time it rains ½ inch, and during the school year this water is used to water our gardens.
• Our Garden is certified to serve fresh produce in the cafeteria, as part of the District’s “Garden to Café” program.
• McKinley 5th graders were featured in a SDUSD video touting our well-developed “Cafeteria to Compost” program.
• It takes 15 years to develop a Garden and program as robust as ours.

Research Shows that Students Involved in School Garden Programs:

• Improve in science, math, language and writing
• Increase their fruit and vegetable consumption
• Have improved self-esteem, teamwork skills and responsibility
• Increase their well-being quality of life and social and cultural cohesion