USA - Massachusetts: Watertown High School Takes On Freight Farming

February 5, 2026

Photo: Jared Brosnan/WBZ NewsRadio

WATERTOWN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Seniors at Watertown High School are dipping their toes into vertical farming.

Back in June, the school received a new Freight Farm, which is a converted shipping container made to grow plants. It was made possible through the Massachusetts FRESH Grant from Mass. Farm to School, and since then, the garden has been thriving.

The project, known as “Watertown Harvest,” saw dozens of students tending to the crops using vertical farming techniques in a self-contained, controlled environment. More than a dozen types of produce now hang from the shelves, and seniors like Ana DaSilva have a plan to ensure nothing goes to waste.

“So far, we have 16 types of lettuce,” said DaSilva. “We’re going to be selling it to the schools, and then from the schools, the money is going to come back to us, we’re going to buy more seeds, and then we’re going to grow more, and that’s going to keep going over and over.”

Other seniors, like Hagop Shahbazyan, said he looks forward to learning about something different from the usual curriculum.

“It was really cool, kind of a different experience for a class than your traditional, sitting at a desk and writing,” said Shahbazyan. “You learn a new skill that not a lot of people get to have in their lives, and it's really important that you know where your food comes from, being able to grow your own food.”

State Education and Environmental Officials were in attendance to tour the farm, followed by an announcement from Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler about new grants for other schools to get involved in gardening.

“We’re here to celebrate a 1.2-million-dollar investment supporting 24 school districts and 10 early education programs across the Commonwealth,” said Tutwiler. “These new grantees with that 1.2-million-dollar investment join more than 60 districts, already participating in Mass Fresh, which is reaching over 200,000 students with meaningful farm food and STEM-based education.”

WBZ NewsRadio’s Jared Brosnan (@JaredBrosnanWBZ) reports.