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School Gardens
Students will eat what they grow. The school garden component of Growing Minds reconnects children with their agricultural heritage, and gets them to eat healthily at the same time.
Jeremy, a fifth grade student at Hazelwood Elementary, returned to the table of garden food to serve himelf seconds on the salad he helped grow, harvest and prepare. "Knock me over with a feather." Jeremy's mom muttered, "I have never seen that boy eat salad in his life."
School gardens can be a powerful learning experience for students, offering hands on experiential learning and a connection to where food comes from.
Sarah is an awkward pre-teen who will be entering middle school next year. "[The garden] gets her out from in front of the television." her grandmother explains. "I have always had a garden at home, but this year Sarah wants to help and make the garden bigger."
How ASAP Can Help
Check out the resources below. Teachers can learn how to start a garden, and how to integrate it into their curriculum.
We can provide seeds for your garden, and ideas for making it flourish. We can also help you connect with volunteers and community resources.
Contact us.
Resources
Ready to start gardening at your school but not sure where to begin? Check out our online resources and dig in!
Back to school garden: Planting the fall garden
Tips for getting the garden started in the fall with a list of cool season veggies that your students can grown and enjoy before winter sets in.
Developing a Sustainable Garden Program: Lessons Learned from Growing Minds
An extensive resource containing everything an educator needs to know about starting a school garden. Compiled by Molly Nicholie using her lessons from the field.
Fall veggie planting guide
A handy table of veggies that can be sowed in the fall.
This Week in the Garden
Newsletter templates.
Getting started in the fall garden
A PDF of things to do to get the garden ready for winter.
Getting started in the spring garden
A PDF of things to do to get the garden geared up for spring.
Planning Edible gardens
A fantastic resource for school gardens. This 53 page PDF has everything from tips for getting started to ways to tie the garden in with curriculum.
Seed saving tips
Tips for saving seeds from heirloom veggies.
Creating a classroom garden: Easy steps for teachers
A short list of steps to create a classroom garden.
Easy Steps to a School Garden (PDF)
Best practices for using produce from school gardens (PDF)
Appalachian Garden Trunk Available to Teachers
Common Ground -School Garden Start-Up Guide (PDF)
Planning an Edible Garden (PDF)
Farm to School: From the Grassroots (2008)
Links
8 steps to improving garden soil
Taking a soil sample and establishing a new garden area
How to build quality garden soil
National Gardening Association - Kids Gardening
The Honey Bee Project
Edible Schoolyard
How to start a school garden (PDF)
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School Gardens