Over 20 years ago, Amy Hutchinson, a South Junior High teacher at the time, and Wendy Young, a longtime nonprofit worker, sat in Young’s Boise home discussing outdoor education.
As they talked, Young asked Hutchinson a question that would quickly become reality. “Why don’t we start a garden school?”
Within two weeks, they found land for the school at Wright Congregational Church and the “dream” started coming together. The Boise Urban Garden School, known affectionately as “BUGS,” opened in 2004 and has served students of all ages since.
After a move in 2015, it now serves students on City of Boise land at Comba Park. Students can take part in activities such as outdoor preschool, culinary experiences, garden education, in-school outreach, field trips and summer camps.
“My goal is to instill that foundational knowledge that comes from hands-on, of our environment, of our planet, of themselves, their own health, and how everything’s connected,” said Pohley Richey, the environmental education coordinator at BUGS and a registered dietitian.
BUGS’ outdoor preschool program runs from May to August and is for kids ages 3-5. Garden camps are for ages 6-9, culinary camps are for ages 10-14, advanced culinary is for students up to age 18, and parent-child education programs are also available.
School outreach and field trips make up the largest category of the students BUGS serves, and their school outreach lessons are provided to Title One schools free of charge.
Program pricing can be found on the City of Boise registration site, and scholarships are available as well.
John Boehm, a 13-year-old student who has attended BUGS programming for six to seven years, said the school has made him feel wanted there.
“I used to be a really picky eater, but now, because of BUGS, I eat a lot healthier and a lot more variety of foods,” Boehm said.
In the future, he said he wants to go to culinary school, a wish he attributed to attending BUGS.
Richey said BUGS grows a multitude of fruits, produce and herbs through the BUGS garden, including apples, peaches and rhubarb, along with tomatoes, kale and mizuna, among many others.
This kind of outdoor education isn’t just backed by the BUGS staff; it’s also backed by experts in the field.
“When children play outside, they naturally explore science, math, and problem-solving through hands-on experiences with the world around them,” said Dr. Juli Pool, a professor in early childhood education at Boise State University.
“It helps them build social skills like cooperation, empathy, and teamwork while also promoting physical health and lifelong habits of being active,” she said.
Those kinds of lessons will possibly come to new areas of Boise soon.
BUGS is set to expand in the summer of 2026 to a 20-acre piece of land near Capital High School called Spaulding Ranch, according to Megan Heryet, the education program manager at the City of Boise and the executive director of the BUGS nonprofit.
The partnership between the City of Boise and BUGS has opened up different opportunities, such as the Spaulding Ranch expansion.
Richey said she sees “light bulb moments” with her students.
“I’ve had many, many parents come to me in the doorway, walk by and be like, ‘How did you do this? My kids won’t eat vegetables at home, and now they’re asking, they need to get up to 30 (unique plant foods), and they’re asking to make recipes, they’re cooking at home,” Richey said.
According to Heryet, the school serves around 10,000 students per year and generates 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of food, depending on the year.
Most of the food is used in programming, Heyet said, and some is preserved in freezers or through canning. Anything not used is donated, mostly through Rolling Tomato, an excess food distribution organization, and the Taft Food Pantry.
The lessons BUGS have taught have passed into the wider community, even going back to its very first group of students.
Emily Kotaich grew up in Boise and was a student at South Junior High when co-founder Amy Hutchinson taught there. Kotaich was the first student board member at BUGS and one of its very first students when it was located at Wright Congregational Church.
“We learned about sustainability and environmentalism and pollinators, and all these things that, to me, are just so baked into who I am now,” Kotaich said.
After a journey to college that was greatly influenced by Hutchinson and Young, Kotaich said she went on to do AmeriCorps and started two community garden programs.
She now works in social work and runs a flower farm in Powell Butte, Oregon, called Covey Fields.
“It’s one of those things you can’t measure with a standardized test, right?” she said. “But the ripple effect of these types of programs is really huge to the surrounding community.”
Young and Hutchinson said BUGS still impacts their lives, even though they both eventually stepped away from the school.
“It’s like watching your kid grow up,” Young said.
Parents, educators and students can find more information about BUGS on its website. Heryet said information can also be found in the Boise Activity Guide, and that summer camp registration in the guide comes out in April.
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean provided a statement about the city’s support for BUGS, saying the city is “committed to providing affordable and accessible early education opportunities for kids.”
“The garden provides a wonderful outdoor classroom experience and our culinary programs inside the BUGS barn at Comba Park increase access to healthy, homegrown food for our residents,” she said.
The full statement provided over text from the Mayor’s Office: “At the City of Boise, we are committed to providing affordable and accessible early education opportunities for kids. Our Outdoor Preschool Program at Boise Urban Garden School is a great option for families, especially in West Boise. The garden provides a wonderful outdoor classroom experience and our culinary programs inside the BUGS barn at Comba Park increase access to healthy, homegrown food for our residents. We are proud it is a part of our Parks and Recreation programming.”
