Brookline Elementary School was the first Pittsburgh public school to have it's own garden to provide fresh vegetables for the student population. The students themselves who did most of the gardening in their spare time and during school breaks. The produce was used for school lunches and the excess was either sold or donated to local food kitchens.

The Brookline Elementary School garden was located between Pioneer Avenue and Wedgemere. The gardening experience was a valuable part of their curriculum, since Brookline was at one time a prosperous farming community. In addition, most families had individual plots growing in their back yards. From the looks of things, these kids were first class farmerhands. The first two photos were taken on July 18, 1916. The photo below was taken in 1920.