Some progress on softening the Montgomery County Public Schools' restriction on school gardens is certainly being made; the system, along with Montgomery County Department of Parks, have identified three potential sites for school gardens.

The problem? Those gardens won't be at any school.

The chosen sites are instead on school system property, near administrative facilities. They are located either a short, or quite a long, walk away from students in schoolhouses.

"We're basically providing the land and [the parks department] agreed they'd like to include these as community gardens if they move forward," said Sean Gallagher, Assistant Director of Department of Facilities Management for MCPS, at Tuesday's Board of Health hearing.

Gallagher then went on to say that the MCPS felt "that the quickest way to move forward with this is to identify these sites that didn’t have athletic programs, that had land available, and to get this started as quickly as possible for the next growing season."

Some elected officials and community members don't get why putting vegetable gardens on school property has become such a complicated matter (Council President Nancy Floreen (D-At Large) said at Tuesday's hearing that "most of us are puzzled as to why this is so hard."). Superintendent Jerry Weast has cited concerns over pests and maintenance.

"It’s just 'give us the land' and turn it to the community to run," Councilman Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) told Gallagher. "And I appreciate there may be instances where community gadens have been left to disrepair, and you have to have that concern. But I'd ask you not to have this concern at the forefront of your mind."

Gordon Clark of Montgomery Victory Gardens said despite his group supporting any instance when land is set aside for gardens, the chosen three sites "do nothing to address these schools actively asking for gardens." 

Clark also mentioned that some schools have secret gardens they haven't disclosed to the public for fear of being reprimanded. Scandal!

The sites, although not set in stone, are the most likely candidates for the gardens. Even still, community meetings have been organized to discuss concerns:

- 7 p.m., Oct. 21 at Spring Mill Center, 11721 Kemp Hill Road, Silver Spring.

- 7 p.m., Nov. 1, at Rocking Horse Center, 4910 Macon Road, Rockville.

- 7 p.m., Nov. 4, at Emory Grove Center, 18100 Washington Grove Lane, Gaithersburg.

View Potential MoCo school garden sites in a larger map