Grant to help Naper Settlement garden take root

Naper Settlement will establish a sustainable permaculture garden on the museum’s campus with the help of a $21,000 grant from the DuPage Foundation.

Opening in 2025, the new garden will feature edible native plants — including corn/maize, squash and beans — that were used in Indigenous farming before colonization.

Educational programming will involve water quality tests and soil health experiments meant to encourage youth participants to seek out further knowledge in environmental science and sustainability, according to a grant announcement.

Rena Tamayo-Calabrese, Naper Settlement’s president and CEO, thanked the DuPage Foundation for its support of the garden project.

“It is an important addition to telling Naperville’s agricultural history and will engage students and visitors alike with hands-on learning that will have a lasting impact on how we understand our local environment and sustainability,” Tamayo-Calabrese said in a statement.

With the help of OLI Gardens, all viable crop yields will be donated to local food banks.