After a three week winter break school gardens with watering angels (or on automatic timers) saw a spurt of growth that caused many to utter “WOW” upon their return. Pea vines were 7 ft tall and full of ripe pea pods. Bok choy that wasn’t picked before the break had bolted and flowered with stalks […]
Category Archives: Instructional Activities
Thank you to Michael Levenston at CityFarmer.info for uncovering this gem, a digitized school book from School Garden Series, published in 1918. The uniforms may have changed, but much of the instruction is still valid. The Child’s Food Garden, With a Few Suggestions for Flower Culture by Van Evrie Kilpatrick, 1918, Principal of the Carlisle […]
We’re eight weeks into the school year and we’ve been harvesting since week one. Only a year round school garden can make such a boast, true, but the real secret is our perennial herb bed. Whenever we’re in between seasons or waiting for something to mature there is always the herb bed. Since day 1, […]
Seeds come in many shapes and sizes. They can be as big as coconuts or as small as orchid seeds that are carried by the wind. Size usually depends on how the seed is dispersed. Big or small they all have three things in common related to their structure: 1) Hard protective shell outside called […]
The back of a seed packet lists all the information one needs to directly sow seeds in the ground. Let’s go through it item by item with this Cauliflower variety, Early Snowball and Carrot variety, Scarlet Nantes. The Latin name isn’t always given but it’s a good idea to note the family name for rotation […]
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 […]
End of summer also means end of the cycle. Plants have flowered, fruited and are putting out seeds to ensure their survival. Students returning at the start of the new term should be on the lookout for seed-bearing fruits and dried flower heads.