School Garden Search

Only just started to design garden. Need all the help I can get!

This is a new garden, just started in 2002 in a desert climate, with drought-resistant plants native to the area, since there is an ever-receding water table. It gives the children the experience of growing from seed and from cuttings, with a mixture of herbs, small trees, flowers, and fruit and vegetables. They are given as much responsibility as possible. Many of them have had no previous experience growing anything and they are very excited to see their own plants developing. We hope to have some edible plants to use for school meals, and plants to sell at our next school fair.

Each First Grade Class has a small garden which is used to grow some vegetables and flowers. Each teacher decides how to organize their plot: some have each child have a square foot, in other classes, groups decide what to plant. The gardens are right next to the classrooms and the children can take care of the gardens during recess time. We have a garden shed with tools, and a compost area with 5 compost bins.

In grades 2 through 5, gardening is part of our Spanish Science Program. Grade 2 learns how to make seed tapes and plant vegetables and flowers. Grade 3 gardeing is linked to a unit on the Indian cultures and the children plant a three sisters garden. In 4th grade the focus is on our bodies and health, and the chidlren plant medicinal herbs. In grade 5, the chidlren's gardens are linked to history and learnning aobut the Old Worlds, so the gardens have Old World plants.

We have about 30 parent volunteers who come on a weekly basis to help.

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We have a very large garden which has not been used for nearly 10 years. The pond has to be removed and restored,
The children are very interested and helpful. We live in the city of Vienna and some children have not even seen a garden, since they live in large apartments. The school is bilingual, in a German speaking country, a few English and American children, and the Austrian children are very good with their English. It is fun doing gardening in both languages. I am from Wales in the UK and learning so much. Chris Evans

Our school greenhouse is just being built, so we're not starting any activities yet. Our greenhouse has a suntaft roof and a soil-ground base with middle-inner circle of paving blocks for walking. So, I can't write any growing nor learning experiences. I was hoping if I can interact with other school to enhance my knowledge in gardening and all about greehouses.

The Garden program is new to the school, however we are situated on 70 acres of land that we shall with a yoga center. There is a person who saves rare seeds on the property also, so we have lots of opportunity to learn about biodiversity. We have a forest with a stream running through it so we can learn about different ecosystems. We have been restoring salmon to our stream also, as it runs all the way to the ocean. It is a unique chance for kids to understand the world aroud them.

We live in a location that allows us to plant year round (school year). We have a gardening club that has several box gardens and one large garden that focuses on two main crops. Each class also has its own box garden. Classes can plant what they wish, but must keep in mind our two gardening competitions that happen during the year. Judges look at all aspects of the gardens from design and maintenance to plant choice and health. We love it because one competition is voted on by parents. We have a vegetable market where each class gets to sell its produce to parents as they arrive in the afternoons. This money is then recycled into the garden. Classes must research local produce prices, set prices, weigh produce, balance finances, etc. The garden allows us to teach science and math in a great, fun way. We wouldn't trade our garden for anything.

Our project is a teacher and school driven movement which builds outdoor learning environments through Permaculture and supports the integration of Environmental Education (EE) into all learning areas, in line with the Revised National Curriculum Statements (RNCS).

Our goals are:
1) Teaching and implementing the cultivation of vegetable gardens
2) Utilizing an organic methodology that inculcates students about human impact on the environment
3)Training participants in the life skills of responsibility, teamwork and self-discipline through a mentally and physically stimulating activity.

Our campus is covered in pine trees and some deciduous trees, but we are starting some container gardens with fruits and veggies. Our classrooms have some orchids as well as other seasonal flowers. We are a school mostly Japanese children from 1 years old to 5th garde and we do know English.

News from "The Veggytation Patch"

We are ready to adopt the name and logo Emily Holmes from year 6 in 2006 created to win the 'competition to name the veggie patch'.

K21 has bean and pea varieties starting to germinate, K23 has a few roma tomato, carrot and cucumber shoots while K22 are awaiting chives, coriander and parsley to emerge. Mrs Rigby's K25 planted broccoli, snap peas and chives.
4/8 have planted broccolini, tomato and celery and are involved with 4/9 in growing wheat, oats, chickpeas and lupins as part of their 'products + processes' unit. Tian Boderus and Liz Lutherborrow are taking their classes on an exciting journey through the stages of growing and procesing a raw material to consumption. Kumut, a durum wheat has been sown and will eventually be made into pasta. Ventura wheat has been sown to make bread. Echidna, a variety of 'rolling' oats has been sown to make porridge/Anzac biscuits. Lupins have been sown to make flatbread and chickpeas can be turned into hommous.

3/15 have been very busy planting seedlings as well as seeds. They have put in strawberries, bok choi, onion, artichoke, passionfruit, rosemary, cauliflower and French dwarf beans.

Due to the appearance of a few unwanted guests in the patch (aphids, slugs, grasshoppers and cut worms) 4/9 have been making ORGANIC potions to deter these critters from wrecking havoc with our harvest. Garlic, chilli, soap, dipel (bacillus thuringiensis), coconut and mineral oil are the ingredients we are using - whilst not toxic these ingredients can still burn eyes and probably don't taste great. For this reason we wear gloves when handling these items, wash hands thoroughly after gardening and ask that students only pick and eat produce as directed by their teachers. We ask parents to please reinforce this at home.