School Garden Best
practices
What is the vision for Farm to School?
• Access to healthy local foods, gardening opportunities, and food-based activities to enhance the quality of the educational experience is the “new normal” in early care and education
• All education providers, regardless of geographic location, type of program or socioeconomic status, have sufficient information, resources and support and are empowered to successfully implement farm to school and education initiatives
• A wide variety of stakeholders from diverse sectors are engaged in collaborative efforts to expand access to healthy, local, foods and high quality educational experiences for children
• Why Farm to School? Kids win, farmers win, communities win!*National Farm to School Network 2017
How to get started?• Bring a school garden planning team together• Fundraise!• Build a school garden
*National Farm to School Network 2017; Jersey Fresh Farm to School
• Healthy recipe contest using Jersey Fresh fruits and veggies• Identify menu items that you would like to transition to local products• Bring a chef or farmer into the classroom• Taste test new foods in the cafeteria during lunchtime• Plan a farm field trip
Other ways to build A Farm to School Culture
The mission of the School Grounds is to provide outdoor garden classrooms, teacher training, and on-going support for partner schools in New Jersey, with a focus on at-risk urban communities, to enhance academic achievement across
disciplines, as well as ensure student interaction with the natural world, access to hands-on experimental learning, and an understanding of where food comes from.
Collaborating teachers gain the curriculum, resources, knowledge, and enthusiasm to use this outdoor classroom to foster a farm to school culture that values and celebrates garden education as an integral part of developing the whole child.
City Green’s School Grounds Mission
School gardens are a tool!• School gardens serve as a tool and teaching asset to enhance your lesson plans
with hands on activities and nature based discussions• Use your garden program in conjunction with any of the subjects you teach,
including math, reading, art, science, nutrition, etc.• Gardens should be fun and enjoyable for both students AND teachers
Raised Bed Gardening
• Eliminates the need for soil testing
• Warms up earlier in the spring to allow for early planting
• Improves drainage
• Defines the garden space
• Allow for gardening on non-soil surfaces!
Healthy Soil Raised beds are a great opportunity to make sure the garden is full of healthy rich
soil. Make sure to purchase organic varieties that are safe to grow food in!
Soil Amendmen
ts
To give your plants an extra nutritional boost before the growing season, fertilize with a commercially available organic fertilizer.
CropRotation
Compost½
Brown½
Green
*DO NOT* add any animal products including: dairy, meat, bones, diseased plants, fish, feces
Dried leavesStraw
Corn stalksNewspaper
Pine needlesCardboard
Twigs
Veggie scrapsFruit scrapsPlant trimmings (avoid weeds)EggshellsCoffee groundsGrass (untreated)
Trowel
Scuffle hoe
Spading fork
Foam mats
Watering can
Bucket
Utility tub
Hose and nozzle
Hand pruner
Garden Tools
Water whenever the soil becomes dry. In the summer, it is often best to water in the morning or evening to avoid rapid evaporation. Provide enough water so that soil in the
beds is saturated, but not puddling.Spring/Fall: Water at least 2 days a weekSummer: Water at least 3 days a week
Watering
Weeds can hinder the growth of the intentional plants in your garden by stealing the nutrition and water from the soil. Controlling the weeds will help your crops grow better, and make your garden look neater:
Mulch: a layer of organic material, placed on top of the soil will help retain moisture and prevent sunlight from reaching the weeds. Straw is the best choice.
By hand: you can bring your students out once or more a week and there will always be weeds to pull, especially in the warmer months.
Tools: many tools exist to help make weeding easier, such as long-handled hula hoes and hand hoes.
Weeds
Seeds
Planting seeds is an excellent way to show your students the life cycle of
plants from start to finish. Seeds also provide an affordable way to plant
out your entire garden. Link the indoor classroom to the
outdoor garden classroom by starting seeds inside and
transplanting into your garden space!
Some varieties can be directly seeded outside, be sure to check the
seed packet!
1 2
3 4
Transplanting1
2 3
4
5
ANNUALS PerennialsVegetables/Fruits
TomatoesLettuceCarrots
CucumbersCorn
WatermelonPumpkins
HerbsBasil
CilantroChamomile
Dill
FlowersNasturtium (edible)
MarigoldsSunflowers
Zinnia
Vegetables/FruitsAsparagusRhubarb
HorseradishStrawberries
Black/RaspberriesApples
HerbsMint
ChivesRosemary
Sage
FlowersBee BalmEchinacea
Black Eyed Susan
The Hardiness Zone describes what can grow in that location and at what times of the year given the climate. Checking the back of a plants seed packet will indicate when it is safe to plant that variety in your location so
that the plant can grow strong and healthy.Using “warm weather” and ”cold weather” terminology when planting crops will help you plant when
seasonally appropriate. Cold weather crops can survive and grow when a frost is possible, and warm weather crops grow best when there is no danger of frost.
*The frost date in NJ is May 15th*
Hardiness Zone
Vegetables that are hardy enough to grow in the spring and late fall and can
survive the frost.
These varieties are great options for school gardens because these crops will grow and be able to be harvested during
the times of year when school is in session.
Hardy Vegetables(25ºF-28ºF)
Semi-Hardy Vegetables (29ºF-
32ºF)Broccoli Beets
Cabbage Carrots
Kale and Collards Cauliflower
Parsley Celery
Peas Lettuce/Salad Greens
Radish Onion
Spinach Radicchio
Turnip Swiss Chard
Cool Weather Crops
These veggies grow well in the heat, and cannot survive a frost. Be sure to plant these
varieties after the last frost.
*Remember May 15th is the frost date in NJ*
These varieties are most successful when planting established plants. Plan on starting these seeds in the classroom, or visiting the
local garden or hardware store for plants.
Warm Weather Crops Tomatoes Corn
Eggplant Squash
Beans Zucchini
Peppers Potatoes
Cucumbers Tomatillo
Vegetables
HerbsBasil LavenderFennel RosemaryMint Thyme
Oregano Tarragon
Fruit Trees
RaspberriesStrawberriesPlant in the garden space or in a
container. Strawberries will return each year!
Plant these bushes into the ground or container. Always look for
thornless varieties.
Dwarf size apple or stone fruit trees can be planted in the ground or
planter boxes
New Jersey’s growing season generally runs from April until late November. However, if you want to be able to grow more vegetables starting earlier or going later, you have options! You can extend the
season using simple, easily available materials. With the help of season extension, it is possible to grow cold weather vegetables like lettuce, carrots,
beets, radishes, spinach, arugula, kale and even chard in the coldest months of the year.
Season Extension
Row Cover Cold Frame
Hoop House
Spring• Turn over and amend the soil• Early spring - plant cold weather crops (March/April)• Water 2+ times a week• Harvest cold weather crops as they are ready• Late spring - plant warm weather crops and
flowers/herbs after the last frost (May 15). This can happen be done while you are continually harvesting cold weather crops
Summer• Harvest cold weather crops (May/June)• Care for and harvest warm weather crops as
soon as they are ready• Water 3+ times a week• Plant cold weather crops. This can happen
while you are continually harvesting warm weather crops (August/September)
Fall• Remove summer growth and warm weather crops
(Sept/Oct)• Harvest cold weather crops (October/November)• Water 2+ times a week• Use season extenders to lengthen the growing
season (cold frames, hoop house, and row covers)
Winter• Clear raised beds of all non-perennial plants• Rake soil until smooth and level, plant a cover crop,
winter rye is a great choice (Nov)• Inventory and store garden tools and supplies• Work on your plan and schedule for next year’s
growing season
BEFOREHAND: How you prepare your students to go into the garden
DURING: How you interact with your students and allow them to explore
AFTER: How you interact with your students and reflect with them after garden time
Behavior Management in the Garden
1. Gather extra support if needed for garden time (volunteers, parents, administrative staff).
2. Prepare your students days in advance that they will be going into the garden. Make sure they understand this is an exciting opportunity but also a privilege.
3. Practice pretend garden chores in your classroom.
4. Establish calls or hand-clapping sounds for gathering attention in the garden.
5. Design repetitive protocols for garden time, and when students follow protocols, reward them with praise and little treats like stickers.
6. Plan back-up lessons! Be prepared for inclement weather.
Beforehand
1. Always have drinking water, sunscreen and a first aid kit ready.
1. Always enter the garden in a straight orderly line, and review the garden rules each time you visit.
2. Utilize a garden session routine.3. Divide students into smaller groups for hands-on activities.
4. Make sure every student has a clear task. Idle hands can lead to behavioral problems.
5. Use teaching circles when possible. It allows you to see all students at one time. It also allows everyone
to more easily participate without anyone being left out.
6. Keep it short when the students are first learning how to behave in the garden. An outdoor experience
can be only ten minutes, just long enough to accomplish one short task.
Go out to the garden often. The more you go out, the easier it gets.
During
1. Leave time to reflect on how it was to go out in the garden. Ask what students’ favorite aspect was. Review the learning objectives just learned.
2. Hang or post pictures, artwork, and projects completed outdoors in the classroom to reinforce the connectedness between the two spaces. Celebrate your classes garden experience!
3. Talk frequently about what you last did in the garden to reinforce the learning that took place.
4. Talk about what will happen the next time you go to the garden.
After
Garden to Curriculum Connections
• 5 volunteers• 5 school subjects • Language arts/English• Math • Science• Social studies/History• Art
• Brainstorm connections to garden
Garden to Curriculum Game!
Jenny Schrum, Director of Youth Programming: [email protected] Daniel, Youth Programming Coordinator: [email protected]
City Green: 171 Grove Street, Clifton, NJ 07013973-869-4086
Questions?
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