On The Inside

At one Greater-Boston prison, 2nd-year students participate in a Greenhouse Master Class.

Horticulture Training for Incarcerated Students in Greater-Boston

Since 2013, The New Garden Society has trained over 600 incarcerated and detained students in the art and science of plants. In prisons, prison hospitals and youth facilities, our students are 13- 80 years old. Every week in prison classrooms, we teach core horticulture concepts. In prison gardens and greenhouses, students apply these concepts, find healing and build job skills. TNGS' prison-based trainings are taught by horticulturists, farmers, landscapers and other green industry professionals, bringing their diverse plant expertise and land care experiences to every 'classroom.'

In 2024, we are gardening alongside students at two correctional facilities in Boston— Boston Pre-Release Center and Suffolk County House of Correction. We’re learning and practicing horticultural concepts including garden planning and installation, botany, organic land care, pest and disease management, harvest practices and seed saving. Students who return to their communities are encouraged to continue growing or pursue green industry careers through the Boston Mayor’s Office of Returning Citizens. Check out our work ‘On the Outside’ page to learn more about building an increasingly inclusive local green industry that welcomes returning citizens.

Organized in 2013, TNGS responded to students' voiced need for horticulture instructors in the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. To explore the possibilities for horticulture training at your facility, contact info@thenewgardensociety.org.

We offer:

The New Garden Society works alongside incarcerated students to grow edible and ornamental landscapes, exposing students to a wide range of plants.

Design, installation and maintenance of restorative gardens,
Site-specific, classroom and landscape-based vocational trainings in Horticulture Concepts and Practice to meet the unique security requirements, length-of-stay and learning needs of incarcerated individuals, and
Professional development trainings for affiliated staff.

As described by The Horticulture Society of New York, 'Horticultural therapy is an ancient practice that uses plants and gardens as tools in human healing and rehabilitation. Its benefits include stress reduction, mood improvement, alleviation of depression, social growth, physical and mental rehabilitation, wellness, and vocational training.'

For over a decade, TNGS has brought together Greater Boston green industry professionals and incarcerated growers to co-steward abundant green spaces:

In 2013-2016, TNGS facilitated a therapeutic horticulture program for patients at MA DOC's Bridgewater State Hospital, until the facility’s privatization. Concurrently, TNGS gardened with civilly committed men at Massachusetts Treatment Center from 2013 until 2019.
In 2015-2016, TNGS built gardens and taught a pilot Summer Plant Lab to support high school science learning at a MA Department of Youth Services facility in Boston.
In 2016-2019, TNGS facilitated a vocational training program at MA DOC’s Old Colony Correctional- Minimum.
In 2021-2022, TNGS facilitated programs at Middlesex County House of Correction, Boston Pre-Release Center, Suffolk County House of Correction and a MA DYS facility in Middleton.

TNGS's professional affiliations include the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA), Northeastern Organic Farming Association (NOFA), and The Northeast Horticultural Therapy Network (NEHTN).

For deeper insight into the theory and practice of our work, visit www.thenewgardensociety.org/resources.