On Thursday, December 18, students in Osborn School District didn’t just eat fresh lettuce for lunch—they grew it themselves.
At the district’s Nutrition Department Garden Cafe in Phoenix, students participated in an interactive harvest of green star lettuce they planted and maintained in their Flex Farm from Fork Farms. Within minutes of harvest, the freshly grown greens made their way from the farm towers to student plates on the cafeteria line.
The event drew local media attention, with ABC15 AZ Family and FOX 10 on site to capture the powerful visuals and student voices behind this hands-on approach to food and learning.
During the event, students harvested lettuce directly from the Flex Farm, followed by a short nutrition lesson focused on leafy greens. They then took part in a hands-on salad bar experience, building their own individual salads with produce they had grown themselves.
Additional freshly harvested lettuce was delivered to the district’s main kitchen so the entire student body could enjoy the produce on the cafeteria line. This marked Osborn School District’s second-ever Flex Farm harvest. Their first harvest produced an abundance of basil, which was transformed into marinara sauce and served in the school cafeteria—a moment that helped spark excitement and pride among students and staff alike.
In a state where outdoor growing is often limited by heat, drought, and soil conditions, the Flex Farm allows students to grow fresh food year-round, right inside their school. The hydroponic system grows up to 25 pounds of lettuce every 28 days in a very small footprint—without pesticides and with minimal water use.
Beyond nutrition, the Flex Farm serves as a powerful learning tool. Integrated into classrooms and the broader school community, it supports hands-on education across STEM, nutrition, agriculture, sustainability, and health. Students don’t just learn where food comes from—they actively participate in growing it, strengthening critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and real-world understanding.
Research and case studies continue to show that when students are involved in growing food, they are more willing to try fresh fruits and vegetables, making experiences like this especially impactful.
Through partnerships like this one with Osborn School District, Fork Farms is proud to help schools bring fresh, locally grown food directly to students’ lunch trays—while transforming cafeterias and classrooms into spaces of discovery, connection, and empowerment.
As the cameras from ABC15 and FOX 10 captured students harvesting, tasting, and explaining what they’ve learned, one thing was clear: when students grow their own food, the impact reaches far beyond the plate. Contact Fork Farms to see how your school can grow minds and bodies through hydroponics!
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