The Cortez Middle School production field and educational garden were built in 2014. The education gardens consists of a high tunnel, pond, raised and in-ground beds and serval experimental plots. The goal of this garden is exploration; it is a living laboratory. We grow a variety of native and non-native crops, our biggest success this summer was our crop of dry land melons, which were not irrigated except for natural precipitation. 

The production field is located on the schools old baseball field. It consists of over 25 in ground rows, split into three sections which are rotated seasonally to benefit the health of the soil and maximize growth. In the production field we grow corn, pumpkins, squash, collared greens, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, river beans, garbanzo beans and a wide variety of flowers. We practice companion planting, crop rotation and natural pest control to keep the production field thriving year after year. Between the education garden and the production field, we have a 70 tree orchard. Local heritage apples, pears, peaches and plums are grown in our orchard.