The Insight Garden Program and Planting Justice’s Vegetable Garden at San Quentin State Prison

Written by

On December 30, 2013

In November, history was made! Gavin, Haleh, Andrew, May & Or of the PJ team helped Beth Waitkus and the Insight Garden Program get four raised beds built and planted on the grounds of the H-Unit at San Quentin State Prison — the first prison vegetable garden in California. Over four days, men enrolled as students in the Insight Gardening class were able to help break up asphalt on the prison grounds to make way for the new vegetable garden and contribute some much-needed hard work into the construction of the perimeter fence, filling the beds with over 10 yards of compost, mulching the area surrounding the beds, and planting them up with young vegetables and herbs. It was an inspirational, poignant and groundbreaking experience, to say the least.

You May Also Like…

Seed Freedom Rally – January 4th!

Join the Foodie Freedom Fighters on Monday, January 4th, as Fighters from across the state of California gather for a Seed Freedom Rally in Sacramento to keep seed sharing from becoming illegal.

Our Workplace Justice Series: the Abolition of the Prison Industrial Complex

Currently, 11 out of 22 of our staff members have been formerly incarcerated, and we believe our work at Planting Justice directly contributes to reducing the level of mass incarceration – we’ve offered employment to 18 different men returning home from prison, with a zero percent recidivism rate. And, despite our efforts, the Prison Industrial Complex still operates as a violent beast that is disproportionately stealing and enslaving people of color from our communities. Hear our take on the Prison Industrial Complex here.

0 Comments