The World's First Bottle Brick Keyhole Garden: Here in Philly at MLK High!

Hope Garden students at Martin Luther King high fabricating 

bottle bricks - photo: Tara Campbell

A keyhole garden — a circular raised bed with a central composting column approached through a cutout indentation in the circle — integrates permaculture techniques into a beautiful freestanding structure. 

Originally designed by aid workers in Lesotho to assist grandmothers in feeding their families as the country navigated an HIV/AIDs epidemic, keyhole gardens have caught on around the world, in part because of their ability to retain water, which makes them drought-resistant. 

The scraps composting in the central column also absorb and filter gray water, another eco-friendly virtue.

In Lesotho, retaining walls are made from readily available stone, but they can be constructed with any weight-bearing material. When I first learned about bottle bricks, made by stuffing inorganic, unrecyclable trash into plastic bottles, I thought combining these two frugal techniques would be awesome — upcycling waste and marrying it to gardening.

Jackie Schrauger, Program Director at Weavers Way CommunityPrograms, and Tara Campbell, WWCP Youth Education Coordinator, listened attentively when I pitched this crazy idea. They immediately envisioned a bottle-brick keyhole garden at Hope Farm, nestled at Martin Luther King High School, where WWCP sponsors a program for students with autism and intellectual disabilities. Jackie and Tara loved that a keyhole garden’s height increases accessibility for gardeners with mobility issues. Plus, as at most high schools, there’s an ample plastic-waste stream at MLK!

Thrilled as I was with their enthusiasm, I felt honor-bound to point out how ambitious this construction project would be. I loved their response: “We like challenges!” Within a few days, they had laid the groundwork and secured an enthusiastic green light from MLK’s new principal, Keisha Wilkins. Tara’s plan is for the keyhole to be 6.5 feet across and 3 feet high, requiring about 1,000 bricks, possibly more. It’s an ambitious goal! WWCP will be using 20-ounce plastic bottles, such as Gatorade and Snapple, which are heavy plastic and have wide mouths that make filling them easier. The students are already at work. And you can help, too.

Anyone who would like to donate completed bricks, empty 20-ounce bottles or clean, dry materials should contact Jackie at jschrauger@weaversway.coop. Directions and a list of suitable fillings for bottle bricks are posted here.

As the project progresses, WWCP would love input and help from local permaculturists, architects, designers and/or construction mavens to help refine the technique. General volunteers are welcome as well. Contact Jackie to get involved.

I will be documenting this historic project. Watch for updates and help spread the word about the world’s very first bottle brick keyhole garden, right here in Northwest Philadelphia.

Betsy Teutsch’s recent book, “100 Under $100: Tools forEmpowering Global Women,” features
Keyhole Gardens (Tool #65) and Bottle Bricks (Tool # 74).

Contact her at Betsy@BetsyTeutsch.com.