Fenway Park goes green with new organic garden

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- America's most beloved and historic ballpark just got greener -- Fenway Park has earned a Green Thumb.

On the roof of the Red Sox front office sits Fenway Farms, the freshest new addition to Fenway Park. This 5,000 square foot rooftop garden, which sits along the 3rd base side, is the largest organic garden in Major League Baseball.

"We're pretty happy, we're lucky with this location," said Chris Knight, manger of facilities and planning at Fenway. "We planted all of these vegetables about a week before opening day, but things have been growing pretty rapidly."

From Fenway franks to organic herbs and vegetables

Fresh, organically grown vegetables and herbs will soon be served to Red Sox fans. There will be three seasons of crops that are estimated to produce up to 4,000 pounds each year.

But don't worry -- those Fenway franks are still sticking around.

"Most of the produce that we have here will be used in salads and side dishes within the EMC club," said Knight. "I think our Aramark chefs are pretty excited to come up with some new offerings."

Fenway Farms was the brainchild of Linda Henry, wife of John Henry, but was also built in response to the demand of healthier food options from fans.

"Was it an easy transition to build this?" Knight added, "I was a little bit nervous in early March when we still had two to three feet of snow on the roof…Once it started to get warmer and we were able to get rid of all the snow, it came together very quickly."

A transformation with the help of local companies

Recover Green Roofs and Green City Growers, two local companies from Somerville, help to makeover the previous space, which consisted of a typical rubber membrane roof. It was transformed with a fairly simple design plan utilizing a milk crate container growing system with smart irrigation.

"Recover Green Roofs was involved in the installation of the project and the infrastructure," Knight said, "and Green City Growers will assist in the maintenance and the harvest of the garden. It's a very simple process that I think a lot folks could do at their own home."

There's also an educational component.

"We're hoping to teach fans and younger folks about the importance of sustainability and healthy living, and Fenway Farms is a tool for that education...we hope they take some of these tips and techniques home with them," Knight said. "Being impactful with the platform we have here at Fenway is very powerful and unique...being able to influence fans and kids is pretty special."

Fenway Park started their sustainability efforts in 2008, and Fenway Farms is just another step towards that initiative. You'll also be able to see farmers from green city growers maintaining the garden during games.

Cox Media Group