The perimeter of Steve Ritz’s classroom at Discovery High School is consumed by sprouts, vegetables, and flowers that grow in pots, and on walls.

What began here as a simple science experiment has grown into a gardening phenomenon that is opening doors and eyes. It has led to a school-wide lesson in healthy eating and, ultimately, to Ritz’s students getting certified and employed as green technology workers.

In addition to all the accolades he and his students have received, Ritz says his environmentally-friendly gardening project could spark a movement that would allow the Bronx to start “healing ourselves, feeding ourselves, growing ourselves and becoming economically independent.”

It all started at Discovery, one of the five mini-schools on the Walton High School campus, where Ritz designed a science class to help students pass the Living Environments Regents exam, a state standardized test that assesses students’ knowledge of ecology and the environment.

Ritz said he believed gardening in class would give his students a hands-on grasp of the course material. “I love the concept of kids getting their hands dirty,” he said.

“The skills they learn from it translate to regents and academics.”

Ritz enlisted the help of two forward-thinking “green” technology companies.

The staff at Garden Labs conducted a seven-week program with the students that covered everything from sub-irrigation technology to organic cooking. “The students loved it,” said Angelo Zaharatos, a co-founder of Green Labs. “They were extremely activated by the hands-on aspect of gardening.”

The dirty work caught the attention of George Irwin, CEO of Green Living Technologies, an organization that specializes in green wall and green roof technology. Staffers from the company came in to teach students about the basics of green gardening.

Ritz feels that green walls and roofs are effective tools for his students because they become nearly self-sufficient and inexpensive once planted.

According to Ritz, the plants reproduce with their own seeds and grow in frames of recycled aluminum. The larger walls grow on A-frames that allow for two-sided gardening — doubling the crop without requiring more space. They also use bio-soil, which is made from compost and chicken feed, instead of actual dirt.

Ritz especially likes the fact that the walls thrive on used products. “We can turn garbage into money,” said Ritz.

“Instead of getting five cents for recycled cans, let’s use those cans here.”

Planting indoors also eliminates the problem of harsh weather and allows students to participate without worrying about allergies or asthma, the students said.

Seeing the students’ interest, Irwin offered them scholarships to attend a green living certification program in Boston. There they became the youngest citizens in America to have nationally-recognized employment certification in green wall and green roof installation.

Students said that the exposure to green technology gave them a new perspective on life, post-high school. “I saw the real world,” said Jonathan Collazo, a student of Ritz.

“It’s not all about making money, it’s also about making new things.”

“Now that I realize that plants can change the world, I don’t want to be in school while this is happening,” said Linette Maria, a student in Ritz’s class. “I want to get out there and teach people.”

There have been additional side benefits to the program. According to Ritz, the students not only spend extra hours in school tending to the plants, but they also spend more time on academics. Many are now working toward honors degrees.

The experience has helped their diets, too. They are using the fruits of their labor to teach themselves and their peers about healthy eating. On June 3, they fed 450 people (for the second time this year) with the organic goods that they had grown. At the luncheon, for peers and teachers, Ritz and his students dished out pesto pasta, salad with red pepper dressing, cole slaw, collard greens, and vegetable wraps.

“We’re helping other people get healthy,” said student Zachary Pychardo.

For many students, the encounter with organic produce was rare. “I never thought anything so healthy could be so good,” said student Christopher Nova. “The school usually serves pizza, but this is pretty good.”

“These kids need to see the side other than junk food,” said Jason Concepcion, an aide at Discovery. “Even if they don’t like it, they can at least say they tried it.”

Ritz says he believes similar gardening efforts could have an impact beyond Discovery. “We can grow enough food here locally to never have to import,” he said.

Implementing these modern gardens in the Bronx would allow the borough to profit without large amounts of money or space, he says. “Give me a 10,000-square-foot roof, I’m going to give you $500,000 a year.”

Ritz pointed to the vacant 500,000-square-foot Kingsbridge Armory, just blocks from the Walton campus, as an ideal spot to grow food indoors. “As we sit here in the shadow of the Kingsbridge Armory, we can grow enough food in the armory to feed the borough,” he said.

As Ritz imagines creative possibilities for the Bronx, his students are spreading the gardening gospel to other parts of New York. They were recently hired by the Town of Scarsdale to teach middle school students about green wall and green roof installation at living wage ($11.50 an hour). Ritz sees the job as “proof that the Bronx is poised to export our talent and diversity in a new green economy.”