An MP Visit Worth the Wait: Dinsmore Composite School's Tower Garden in Full Bloom

Good things come to those who wait, and Dinsmore Composite School's patience definitely paid off in a big way. After holding off on media and political visits until their hydroponic tower garden was fully established, the school welcomed MP Jeremy Patzer to see their thriving project firsthand earlier this spring. The timing could not have been better, with the towers now bursting with tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeños, kale, and a variety of lettuce, along with a flourishing herb garden of basil, oregano, parsley, sage, dill, and peppermint.

This success builds on momentum that started building well before the visit. Students spent the spring nurturing seedlings and prepping the towers for transplanting, with produce flowing directly into the school's Foods Studies 30 class, where students are putting their harvest to good use in the kitchen. The project continues to be deeply woven into the classroom, connecting biology, food studies, and hands-on sustainability education in a way that's become a hallmark of the Dinsmore program.

The school's work also caught the attention of Global News, which featured the tower garden in 2025 as a response to fresh produce scarcity and high transportation emissions in rural Saskatchewan.

"Working with the Net-Zero program has further inspired me to live with the climate in mind, to grow my own produce, and has given me the knowledge on how to do so." - Sierra Tully, Student Lead

Read the Global News article here: https://globalnews.ca/news/11087535/dinsmore-composite-school-food-scarcity-rural-saskatchewan/ 

Check out our Hydroponic Systems Resource Guide if you’re inspired to start an initiative in your own school.

Want to learn more about Dinsmore's journey from one small garden to a full hydroponic system? Check out their full solution story on our website: https://nowfornetzero.org/solution-story/dinsmore-composite-school/