10 School Garden Activities for September
Week 1 – Welcome back everyone. Hope you all enjoyed your summer.
For those without a school garden who would like to know how to get started please read: How to Start and Maintain a School Garden.
For those returning to an existing garden there is much to do. Preparing the beds for seed sowing is probably the hardest job physically we will have all year. Organizing a garden day with other parents, teachers, students or volunteers is something you might want to consider.
The following 10 School Garden Activities for September should be done (more or less) in order:
1) First and foremost discuss garden rules and tool safety. For those unfamiliar with garden rules these are the basics: a) No running in the garden; b) No walking in the beds; c) No running with tools; d) Do not carry or swing tools on your back; e) Do not bring hands tools over your shoulder; f) Walk with the tool by your side, blade down; g) Return all tools to their proper place immediately after use; h) Do not leave tools in the garden; i) Anyone not following these rules does not get to work in the garden.
2) Search for dried flower heads and seed pods in which to save seed (i.e. cosmos, sunflowers, marigolds, lettuce, cilantro, beans, etc).
3) Clear beds of everything other than perennials (i.e. herbs and strawberries).
4) Collect all organic refuse and compost it. For more information on composting see: Compost page at Wikipedia, the Compost Guide from compostguide.com, and the Guide to Home Composting from the Los Angeles Department of Public Works.
5) Add amendments (i.e. organic compost, aged manure) to existing soil, mix well and turn soil (top to bottom, bottom to top).
6) Review Vegetable Family Chart. At this time of year we will be planting cool-weather crops. As you will see there’s actually more to choose from now than there is in the spring.
7) Read seed packets for specific information regarding height and row spacing. (Taller plants go in the rear so as not to cast shadows on smaller plants.)
8) Plan and design garden space.
9) Lay out rows. (Ideally, rows should be perpendicular to the arc of the sun.)
10) Sow seeds and/or transplant seedlings.
More school garden reading
Summertime also means extra reading time for educators.
HowToDoThings.com has an entire section just for teachers. They include:
1) How to do Gardening Science Fair Projects
2) How To Plan a Garden for Kids
3) How To Grow Plants in the Classroom
4) How To Incorporate Gardening into Kindergarten and First Grade Curriculum
5) How To Garden Safely with Children at Home or in School
6) How To Get Grant Money for a School Gardening Project
7) How To Choose Plants Kids Will Love to Grow in Their Classroom Project
8) How To Get Started with a School Garden Project
