Gardens for Learning: Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden

Gardens for Learning
Creating and Sustaining
Your School Garden

Western Growers Foundation, California School Garden Network
The California School Garden Network – a program of Western Growers Foundation and a 501c(3) — is an organiza-tion
whose members represent a variety of state agencies, private companies, educational institutions, and nonprofit
organizations, all dedicated to the mission of creating and sustaining gardens in every willing school in California. The
Network serves as a central organization to distribute school garden resources and support throughout the state. For
more information about the Network and its resources for educators, visit www.csgn.org.
Western Growers Foundation
California School Garden Network Advisory Committee
John Fisher, Garden Classroom Program Director, Life Lab Science Program/UCSC Center for
Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
Paula Olson, Western Growers
Hope Wilson, MPH, RD, Network for A Healthy California
California School Garden Network Book Committee
Tim Alderson, Valerie Brown, Judy Culbertson, John Fisher, Sharlene Garcia, Dena Gibbons,
Jonnalee Henderson, Mary Landau, Sara Miller, Paula Olson, Deborah Tamannaie, Hope
Wilson.
Funding
This material was developed with partial funding support from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Food Stamp Program. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer,
helping limited-income Californians buy more nutritious foods for a healthier diet. For
more information about Food Stamps, please call 1-877-847-3663.
Partial funding for this publication has come from the California Department of Food and
Agriculture Division of Fairs and Expositions to promote agricultural education in California.
This book incorporates text and ideas from the following National Gardening Association publications:
10 Terrific Vegetables and Everything You Need to Grow Them. Barbara Richardson, Amy Gifford, Charlie Nardozzi, and Eve Pranis.
2002; Grow Lab®: A Complete Guide to Gardening in the Classroom. Eve Pranis and Jack Hale. 1988; Growing Ventures: Starting a School
Garden Business. Eve Pranis and Amy Gifford. 2003; Schoolyard Mosaics: Designing Gardens and Habitats. Eve Pranis and Amy Gifford.
2002; Sowing the Seeds of Success: How to Start and Sustain a Kids’ Gardening Project in Your Community. Marcia Eames-Sheavly. 1999;
Steps to a Bountiful Kids’ Garden. Amy Gifford. 2001. National Gardening Association, 1100 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT
05403; (802) 863-5251; www.garden.org.
Editor: Sarah Pounders, National Gardening Association
Copyeditor/Proofreader: Victoria Beliveau
Design: Alison Watt, National Gardening Association
Artwork
The photographs and illustrations in this book were made available through the generosity of individuals and organizations
throughout California as noted. In addition:
Cover: Debbie Delatour
Title Page: Alicia Dickerson/Life Lab
Page 4, clockwise from top right: Western Growers Foundation, Jim Morris/California Farm Bureau Federation, Alicia Dickerson/Life Lab, Alicia Dickerson/Life Lab
Page 5,
clockwise from top left: Duncan McIntosh/Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alicia Dickerson/Life Lab, Western Growers Charitable Foundation, Debbie Delatour,
Jim Morris/California Farm Bureau Federation
Copyright ©2006 by the California School Garden Network, 17620 Fitch Street, Irvine, CA 92614. www.csgn.org. All rights reserved.
Second edition © 2010
Library of Congress Control Number: 2006932814
ISBN-13: 978-0-9788693-0-4
ISBN-10: 0-9788693-0-3
2 Gardens for Learning

Contents
About the California School Garden Network..........................................4
Foreword by California First Lady Maria Shriver...................................5
Introduction to School Gardens.......................................................................6
Planning Your School Garden........................................................................ 13
Linking Gardens to School Curriculum .................................................... 20
Promoting Healthy Living................................................................................. 29
Designing Your School Garden...................................................................... 39
Finding Supplies and Funding Your Garden........................................... 48
Planting Your School Garden.......................................................................... 55
Maintaining Your School Garden................................................................. 69
Sustaining Your Garden..................................................................................... 78
Working with Volunteers.................................................................................. 86
Resources................................................................................................................... 93
Alicia Dickerson/Life Lab
Gardens for Learning 3

4
About the California
School Garden Network
The California School Garden Network is a 501c(3)
organization whose members represent a
variety of state agencies, private companies,
educational institutions, and nonprofit
organizations all dedicated to the mission
of creating and sustaining gardens in every willing
school in California. The Network serves as a central
organization to distribute school garden resources and
support throughout the state. The Network’s mission
is to create and sustain California school gardens to
enhance academic achievement, a
healthy lifestyle, environmental
stewardship, and community and
social development.
Academic Achievement
The Network members believe that by encouraging
and supporting a garden in every school, educators
create opportunities for children to discover fresh
food, make healthier food choices, and become better
nourished. Gardens offer dynamic, beautiful settings in
which to integrate every
discipline, including science,
math, reading, environmental studies, nutrition,
and health. Such interdisciplinary approaches
cultivate the talents and skills of all students
while enriching the students’ capacities
of observation and thinking.
They believe young
people can experience
deeper understanding
of natural systems
and become better stewards of the Earth by designing,
cultivating, and harvesting school gardens with their
own hands. Additionally, school garden projects nurture
community spirit, common purpose, and cultural
appreciation by building bridges among students, school
staff, families, and local businesses and organizations.
For more information about the California School
Garden Network and its resources for educators, visit
www.csgn.org.
The California School Garden
Network’s mission is to create,
sustain, and increase awareness
for school gardens in the state
of California to enhance:
• Academic achievement
• A healthy lifestyle
• Environmental stewardship
• Community and social development
in children
Network Members: California Association
of Pest Control Advisers • California
Department of Educa-tion • California
Department of Food and Agriculture
• California Farm Bureau Federation
• California Fertilizer Foundation •
California Foundation for Agricul-ture
in the Classroom • California Garden
Clubs, Inc. • California Integrated Waste
Management Board • California Nutrition
Network for Healthy, Active Families •
California Seed Association • California
Service Corps • CSU Fresno Ag Literacy
Program • CSU Pomona • California
Women for Agricul-ture • Center for Food
and Justice • COPIA • CREEC Network •
Davis Educational Foundation • Davis Farm
to School Connection • Fresh Produce
and Floral Council • Huntington Botanical
Gardens • Junior Master Gardener Program
• Life Lab Science Program • LAUSD
Nutrition Network • National Gardening
Association • North Coast Gardens •
Occidental Arts and Ecological Center
• Produce Marketing Association • The
Edible Schoolyard • The Watershed Project
• UC Botanical Gardens • UC Cooperative
Extension • UC Davis Children’s Garden
Program • UC Hansen Trust • UCCE
Common Ground • UCSC Center for
Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems •
Vista Square Elementary • Western Growers
Charitable Foundation • Wine Institute
Gardens for Learning
A Healthy Lifestyle
Community and Social Development
Environmental Stewardship

Foreword
California First Lady
Maria Shriver
It is so important to get connected
and stay connected — with our
fellow Californians and our
communities, and to utilize the
ser-vices and resources of our
state. In California, we are 37 million
strong, ethnically and culturally
diverse in many ways. We have so
much to offer and so much to learn
from one another. We are the greatest resource this state has to offer — imagine
what we can achieve by serving one another. There are so many ways to get
connected — and school gardens provide a wonderful way to serve.
Every child and every school across California should have a school garden. I
have seen the look of joy on a child’s face after they have worked in their garden,
and I have seen how gardens have positively transformed students, schools, and
communities. Gardens are a wonderful resource for our schools and our children.
I believe in the life lessons they teach and the lives they touch – and that every
school and community should have one.
And every Californian should get connected to service — it’s fuel for the soul.
School gardens provide our children with the opportunity to serve — to see
something flourish because they cared for it; to get their hands dirty from their
own hard work; and to have a sense of pride and personal achievement that
comes from nurturing a plant through every stage of development. Each of us
has the power to serve in our own way – every teacher, student, and volunteer
of any age, race, and gender can participate in building, planting, maintaining,
and harvesting a garden.
We need to get healthy in California. It is important for children to
understand where food comes from so that they are empowered to make
nutritious decisions. School gardens also shine a light on California as a vast
agricultural state; the state I love, the state I call home. California is known all
over the world for our incredible agricultural products — we are the nation’s
largest supplier of food. And working in gardens enables us to learn about our
state, appreciate its history, and contribute to its continued success.
In this guide, you will find practical advice on finding the best location for
your garden, planting seeds, harvesting, and sustaining a vibrant garden for years
to come. I hope you will use this guide as a tool in building a successful garden —
and that you too will experience the positive impact and wonderful transformation
gardens have on a community.
So get out there, get connected, and serve your community by building a
garden — plant it, nurture it, and watch it grow! Good luck and good eating!
“ Every individual matters.
Every individual has a role to play.
Every individual makes a difference.
Jane Goodall
” Gardens for Learning 5

Gardens for Learning: Introduction to School Gardens
”
“
6
Introduction to
School Gardens
What is a school garden? A school garden is an innovative
teaching tool and strategy that lets educators incorporate hands-on
activities in a diversity of interdisciplinary, standards-based lessons.
The garden engages students by providing a dynamic environment
in which to observe, discover, experiment, nurture, and learn. It is a
living laboratory where lessons are drawn from real-life experiences rather than
textbook examples, allowing students to become active participants in the learning
process. Through the garden, students gain an understanding of ecosystems, an
appreciation for food origins and nutrition, and knowledge of plant and animal life
cycles. At the same time, they learn practical horticultural skills that last a lifetime.
Where did school gardens come from? The school garden movement
originated in Europe and arrived in the United States in the 1890s. Gardens
sprang up at schools all over the country during the early 20th century, with
particular booms as Victory Gardens intended to increase the food supply during
World War I and World War II. During the 1950s, the number of gardens decreased
as schools placed more emphasis on technology. However, the environmental
movement of the 1970s renewed educators’ interest. More recently, the popularity
of school gardens as an educational tool has steadily grown as a way to teach
healthy eating behaviors and a way to incorporate and increase hands-on learning
experiences in interdisciplinary lessons.
What does a school garden look like? School gardens come in all
shapes and sizes, with a common focus on growing plants. A school garden may
be as small as a few pots of herbs growing on a windowsill or as large as a half-acre
plot of vegetables in a schoolyard. Gardening programs are flexible enough
to fit the needs and resources of every school.
Why garden with kids? Educational philosophers going back to the 17th
century have promoted the use of gardening to achieve learning objectives and
support the mental, emotional, and social development of youth. Students enjoy
gardening activities, and teachers and parents say that gardening programs:
• Address multiple learning styles
• Provide opportunities for interdisciplinary lessons
• Improve environmental attitudes
• Promote good nutrition and exercise
• Teach patience and responsibility
• Instill a positive work ethic
• Increase students’ self-esteem
• Build classroom relationships, improve teamwork, and strengthen school spirit
• Beautify the environment
California Department of Education
Learning comes alive in a school
garden! All subjects can be taught in
this dynamic hands-on environment.
From reading to science, math to
nutrition, it’s all possible. With bales of
straw as chairs, clipboards as desks,
and the garden as their classroom,
students’ textbook lessons come to life
as butterflies metamorphose, worms
decompose, plant growth is recorded,
fresh corn is eaten, and sensory
poetry is created.
California Academic Content
Standards are growing, too!
Everything we know about good
teaching is magnified in a school
garden: student engagement,
meaningful and relevant lessons,
use of manipulatives, cooperative
learning, and exploration and
discovery. There is no better
environment than the garden in
which to plant the seeds of
knowledge, experience the joy of
learning, and harvest a bountiful
crop of lifelong learners.
Martha Deichler, Principal
Vista Square Elementary School,
Chula Vista, CA

In addition to anecdotal evidence, a growing body of research-based literature
supports the use of youth gardens as a beneficial teaching tool. Research has found
that participation in youth gardening programs can have the following impacts on
students:
• Improve self-esteem and attitudes toward school1
• Improve social skills and behavior2
• Improve environmental attitudes, especially in younger students3
• Increase group cohesion4
• Improve interpersonal relationships5, 6
• Increase interest in eating fruits and vegetables and improve attitude toward
fruits and vegetables7; improve attitude toward vegetables and toward fruit
and vegetable snacks8
• Significantly increase science achievement scores9, 10
• Increase self-esteem, help develop a sense of ownership and responsibility,
help foster family relationships and increase parental involvement11
• Improve life skills, including working with groups and self-understanding12
When investigating the benefits of school gardens, it is helpful to divide them
into four categories: academic achievement, a healthy lifestyle, environmental
stewardship, and community and social development.
Academic Achievement
Academic achievement is the primary focus of educators throughout the
country. Their aim is to ensure that students perform at satisfactory levels defined
University of California Agriculture &
Natural Resources Communication Services
Gardens for Learning: Introduction to School Gardens 7

by local, state, and national academic standards. All lessons and
activities must complement mandatory standards to merit the use of
valuable classroom time.
A school garden is a perfect tool to provide hands-on learning
experiences for any academic subject. Science is the most common
subject linked to gardens. Many teachers use the garden as a laboratory
to introduce students to scientific methods through plant-related
experiments. Additionally, a garden provides a place to study weather,
insects, soil, and other environmental matters. It’s the ideal habitat
model for studying ecosystems. Real-life garden experiences contribute
greatly to students’ comprehension and retention of new science
knowledge; in fact, participation in a gardening program increases
science achievement scores, as noted above.
In addition to science, the garden provides opportunities to teach
mathematics, history-social science, English-language arts, and visual
and performing arts. Concepts that seem abstract in the classroom
come alive in a garden setting. For instance, students find taking daily
measurements of garden bean plants and then charting the growth
rate to determine the fastest-growing plant in the garden much more
exciting than charting numbers provided by a textbook. Chapter 3,
Linking Gardens to School Curriculum, provides additional details and
specific examples of how to integrate gardening activities into the classroom.
A Healthy Lifestyle
Beyond academics, the garden provides broader life lessons, including
contributing to students’ knowledge of how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Alicia Dickerson/Life Lab “ ” You are what you eat.
Anonymous
8 Gardens for Learning: Int roduct ion to School Gardens

Program Spotlight
Gardens for Learning: Planting Your School Garden
food industry. Through
repeated experiences,
students gain confidence
in their abilities; through
job assignments, they gain
leadership skills. Beyond
that, since the other
students and teachers
rely on them for their
meal, they are given
a unique opportunity
of responsibility and
ownership.
Food Lab Nutrition
Coordinator Stephanie
Raugust says that two
of the most important
aspects of the programs
are ties to the curriculum
and the opportunity for
students to practice important life skills.
Through the garden, students gain an
understanding of and appreciation for
the cultivation of food crops, along with
a respect for local farmers. They also
learn valuable science concepts through
observation and experimentation. By
learning to prepare nutritious meals, the
students are armed with the knowledge
and skills to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The school is solidly invested in both
programs. Hands-on, curriculum-based,
comprehensive education programs like
this one are important for changing the
eating behaviors of our society both now
and in the future. Strong support from
parents, teachers, administrators, and the
community ensure such programs will
continue to grow and thrive.
9
Established in 1982,
the Life Lab at Pacific
Elementary is an
integral component of
the school year for all
students. “It is wonderful
to witness the excitement
of the students to go to
the garden,” shares Life
Lab Coordinator Jerry
Adame. “If I am a minute
late to pick them up for
class, when I arrive they
anxiously ask, ‘Where
have you been?’”
The project blossomed
from a few raised beds
near the playground into a
50- by 100-foot discovery
garden including herbs,
vegetables, fruit trees, ornamental beds, a
composting area, and a number of storage
structures for tools and supplies. During their
weekly garden visits, students participate in
science lessons and tend a 5- by 10-foot
raised bed in which they grow salad greens,
herbs, and other edible plants. Additionally,
Jerry makes sure students have at least 10
minutes to explore the garden on their
own, so they have time to independently
“feel, taste, and smell the beauty of the
garden.” When their gardens are ready to
harvest, the students carefully pick, clean,
and package their produce and then walk
it up to the school’s kitchen, also known as
the Food Lab.
An extension of the garden, the Food
Lab program was added in 1984 as a
coordinated effort to provide students
with an opportunity to be a part of the full
food cycle, from seed to table. On their
day in the Food Lab, students spend an
hour and a half in the kitchen helping to
prepare the school’s lunch. The lab begins
with a job assignment where students
can serve as the manager, baker, prep
person, or cook. Each role allows them to
practice different academic and life skills,
including mathematics and safe food
handling procedures. It also prepares them
for potential career opportunities in the
Growing Students in the Garden
Pacific Elementary School, Davenport, CA
Hands-on, curriculum-based,
comprehensive education programs like
this one are important for changing the
eating behaviors of our society
both now and in the future.

California is experiencing a major health crisis as the number of overweight and
unfit youth grows at an epidemic rate. Approximately one in three children
is overweight or at risk of becoming overweight, and almost 40 percent of
school-age children are considered unfit. The increase in number of weight-related
chronic diseases such as diabetes is of great concern, and the need
for prevention education is critical.
Garden programs work to combat the epidemic by teaching youth
about healthy lifestyles that include proper nutrition and physical
activity. Through a gardening program, students gain first-hand
experience with fresh fruits and vegetables. They discover that produce
does not magically appear on the grocery store shelves, and they learn the
important role of agriculture in our society. The pride and curiosity sparked
by growing fruits and vegetables along with the knowledge of where they come
from motivates students to try eating them, oftentimes leading to more positive
attitudes and eating behaviors. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of the
diet not only because they provide essential vitamins, but also because they are
linked to prevention of such health problems as cancer and heart disease. Studies
show that a majority of children do not eat the recommended amount of fresh
fruits and vegetables each day, so they are missing out on these benefits. A garden
program increases produce availability and creates opportunities to teach students
what they should eat for good health through fun, hands-on experiences. This
information can also be shared with students’ families.
A healthy lifestyle is more than just eating right, though. Students also need
to adopt good exercise habits. The garden provides a wide range of physical
activity through digging, planting, and weeding. The garden activities are often
so captivating that students do not even realize they are exercising. And unlike
some other activities they participate in during their school years, gardening is an
activity they can participate in for the rest of their lives.
Environmental Stewardship
A school garden is a powerful environmental
education tool. Through gardening, students
become responsible caretakers. They have an
opportunity to engage in agricultural practices on
a small scale, learning about the responsibilities
and impacts of land cultivation. They explore the
web of interactions among living and nonliving
components of life. By doing so, they develop a
greater understanding of the natural world.
Students also learn the importance of caring
for natural resources. A garden of native plants or
drought-tolerant plants, for example, provides an
excellent opportunity to teach students about water
conservation. They will observe that choosing the right
plants and irrigation for the garden results in a beautiful
landscape that is also environmentally friendly. Additionally,
“Incorporating agriculture into the
classroom helps students understand
how humans interact with
the environment and how food
is grown. Further, agriculture
and school gardening promotes
awareness of healthy eating, helps
students master science concepts,
and exposes students to agricultural
job opportunities. By designing,
cultivating, and harvesting school
”
gardens, students experience
deeper understanding of natural
systems and become better
stewards of the earth.
Lance Omeje, Teacher
Yokomi Elementary School
Fresno, CA
10 Gardens for Learning: Int roduct ion to School Gardens
Photos: 5 A Day

gardens teach
about waste
reduction through
composting.
Students who learn
sustainable garden
practices can more
readily consider
conservation issues
from a local and
global perspective.
For many
children, a garden
offers the only
chance to get close
to nature. Some
lack access to
gardening spaces
because of their
living situations;
others have
limited exploratory
free time outdoors.
School garden
educators in urban environments frequently find their programs provide students
their first opportunity to dig into the soil and watch a plant grow.
Establishing a connection with nature at an early age is extremely important.
Researchers have discovered that childhood experiences with nature are strongly
linked to adult attitudes toward plants. Participation in gardening during
childhood is the most important influence on adult environmental attitudes
and actions, and even in urban areas where green spaces are limited, gardening
programs for children can provide a strong enough connection to instill
appreciation and respect for nature in adulthood.13
Community and Social Development
Community and social development lessons do not receive the attention that
academic achievement does, but they are as crucial to the survival of our country
as reading and writing. Children must learn how to take responsibility for their
environment and develop a strong sense of community to ensure the continuation
of our society.
Gardens create opportunities for students to work cooperatively and to
develop responsibility. They will quickly learn the negative consequences
associated with forgetting to water their plants on a hot day and will work
hard to make sure it does not happen again. Plants will also provide positive
reinforcement in response to proper care by growing or producing fruits. On a
personal level, gardening builds confidence, self-esteem, and pride as students
“ ” We are part of the earth
11
and it is part of us....
What befalls the earth
befalls all the sons of the earth.
Chief Seattle, 1852

watch their efforts turn into beautiful and productive gardens. It also teaches
them patience as they wait for a seedling to sprout or a tomato to ripen.
Gardens provide unique opportunities for cross-generational connections. While
gardening, children interact with teachers, parents, and community volunteers,
providing opportunities for social interaction that are often lacking in our society.
The garden allows children to ask questions, share thoughts, and work cooperatively
toward a common goal. In addition, school gardens give children the opportunity to
showcase their products at local fairs. For information on how to submit entries, see
Resources (page 93) for Web links to California’s fairs and expositions.
Through gardening, students help to beautify the school grounds. Some will find
it their only chance to contribute positively to their environment. The praise they
receive from other students, parents, teachers, and community members will create a
sense of community spirit and introduce them to the benefits of volunteering.
Above all, gardening is fun, and once the skills are acquired it can become a
lifelong hobby. Exploring the outdoors, planting in the soil, watching seeds grow,
and harvesting the bounty are enjoyable and memorable ways for students to
spend their time.
1 Sheffield, B.K. 1992. The affective cognitive effects of an interdisciplinary garden-based
curriculum on underachieving elementary students. Unpublished doctoral
dissertation, University of South Carolina, Columbia.
2 DeMarco, L., P. D. Relf, and A. McDaniel. 1999. Integrating gardening into the
elementary school curriculum. HortTechnology 9(2):276-281.
3 Skelly, S. M., and J. M. Zajicek. 1998. The effect of an interdisciplinary
garden program on the environmental attitudes of elementary school students.
HortTechnology 8(4):579-583.
4 Bunn, D. E. 1986. Group cohesiveness is enhanced as children engage in plant-stimulated
discovery activities. Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture 1:37-43.
5 Campbell, A. N., T. M. Waliczek, J. C. Bradley, J. M. Zajicek, and C. D.
Townsend. 1997. The influence of activity-based environmental instruction on high
school students’ environmental attitudes. HortTechnology 7(3):309.
6 Waliczek, T. M., and J. M. Zajicek. 1999. School gardening: Improving
environmental attitudes of children through hands-on learning. Journal of
Environmental Horticulture 17:180-184.
7 Pothukuchi, K. 2004. Hortaliza: A Youth “Nutrition Garden” in Southwest Detroit.
Children, Youth and Environments 14(2):124-155.
8 Lineberger, S. E., and J. M. Zajicek. 1999. School gardens: Can a hands-on
teaching tool affect students’ attitudes and behaviors regarding fruits and vegetables?
HortTechnology 10(3):593-597.
9 Klemmer, C. D., T. M. Waliczek, and J. M. Zajicek. 2005. Growing minds: The effect of a school gardening
program on the science achievement of elementary students. HortTechnology 15(3):448-452.
10 Smith, L. L., and C. E. Motsenbocker. 2005. Impact of hands-on science through school gardening in Louisiana
public elementary schools. HortTechnology 15(3):439-443.
11 Alexander, J., and D. Hendren. 1998. Bexar County Master Gardener Classroom Garden Research
Project: Final Report. San Antonio, Texas.
12 Robinson, C. W., and J. M. Zajicek. 2005. Growing minds: the effects of a one-year school garden program on six
constructs of life skills of elementary school children. HortTechnology 15(3):453-457.
13 Lohr, V. I., and C. H. Pearson-Mims. 2005. Children’s active and passive interactions with plants influence their
attitudes and actions toward trees and gardening as adults. HortTechnology 15(3):472-476.
“I have never seen children work
as collaboratively as they do when
they are in the garden. As they
face the multitude of problems
associated with growing flowers and
vegetables, they all work, share
ideas, and solve problems together
as they strive to reach a common
Debbie Delatour
”
goal. It never ceases to
fill me with joy as I watch true
learning at its best just happen.
Cathey Anderson, Teacher
Valley Center Elementary School
Valley Center, CA
12

Planning Your
School Garden
After identifying the need for a garden at your school and
recognizing the benefits a gardening program will provide, it
is time to begin to make your vision a reality. This book will
guide you through the basic steps of creating and maintaining
a school garden, including:
• Seeking administrative approval
• Creating a support network
• Identifying goals and linking the garden to your curriculum
• Designing the garden
• Identifying supply needs and funding needs
• Obtaining supplies and funds
• Planting the garden
• Maintaining the garden
• Sustaining the garden
Step 1: Seeking Administrative Approval
Your first step is to gain the support of your school’s administrators. Before
setting up a meeting, take time to develop an outline of your vision. Begin your
outline with ideas for how you can incorporate the garden into the standards-based
curriculum as a hands-on interdisciplinary teaching tool, which is a make-or-
break element in receiving approval. Also include the ways you think the garden
will benefit your students and the community, a list of potential supporters, and
a tentative plan of action, including the steps you will take to create a school
garden (you can use this chapter as your plan). Developing a thoughtful and
professional outline will indicate your level of commitment to the project and
will inspire confidence in your proposal.
For most educators, the principal’s office will be the first stop. An enthusiastic
and supportive principal is key to the development of your school garden, whether
approving and arranging teacher time for workshops, or finding and tapping
funding sources. Your principal can also be an important promoter of the garden
project to your school district and community. It is essential that the principal be
an active participant in the process.
Other school administrators can also play an important role. Seek your
principal’s guidance on additional contacts, who may include your superintendent,
school board members or other local government officials, and even state and
federal legislators. It’s worth your while to gain their support and approval from
the start. They love to be involved and associated with innovative programs,
and their support can translate into tangible and intangible contributions.
Gardens for Learning: Planning Your School Garden
”
“We are planting the seeds for
healthy kids by providing them
with programs they can embrace.
The success of our district’s school
gardens is due to the involvement
of our entire school community. You
can walk onto any school
campus and see a diverse integration
of nutrition education, school
gardens, and physical activity.
Judy Huffaker
Nutrition Education Specialist
Alhambra Unified School District
Alhambra, CA
13

Step 2: Creating a Support Network
Once you have a green light from your administrators, it is time to develop
your support network. You will quickly find that garden programs are more work
than one person can sustain, so to ensure success, enlist other teachers, school staff,
students, parents, and community volunteers to serve on a garden planning and
advisory team (which we will refer to as the “garden team”). Members of this team
can help you set goals and can provide ideas for ways to integrate the garden into
the curriculum. They may promote the program to other parents and community
members, secure necessary supplies, provide horticultural expertise, assist with
classroom lessons (it is often helpful to have an extra set of hands during classroom
gardening projects), or aid in maintenance of the
garden. By gathering input and help from a diverse
group, you will strengthen the creativity and ingenuity
of your program. Their involvement will multiply your
resources and create active supporters for your efforts.
Before asking people to be a part of the garden
team, envision how you would like them to participate
and what their responsibilities will be. How often and
when would you like to meet? Do you want them
to help in planning, implementing, or maintaining
the garden, or help in all stages? Even though roles
may shift during the life of the garden, always try to
communicate needs and expectations clearly.
Not all members of this team need to contribute
in the same way. Although it is easier on you to
find individuals willing to help with all aspects, you
will probably find more people willing to take on
responsibilities that build on their individual strengths
and fit their available time. An important volunteer
to look for is someone willing to serve as a garden
coordinator to help organize communication, scheduling,
and other details. Because of the demands of this position, you may want to recruit
two or three people to share this job. Your garden coordinators will help support you
as the garden program grows in size and scope. Look for individuals who are good
at delegating responsibilities and following up to make sure jobs are completed. It is
best not to have coordinators who want to control all the work because they will
deter other volunteers and are likely to burn out. Many successful school gardens are
fortunate enough to find funding to pay a garden coordinator.
Begin building your network by conducting a brainstorming session with
potential supporters. Spread the word by presenting the project idea at a faculty,
school board, or PTO meeting and inviting people to join the brainstorming
session. Send an e-mail invitation to the entire school community. Notify other
community members of the upcoming session by hanging posters, sending out
a newsletter, or placing announcements through local newspapers, radio, or
television. Promote the meeting on the school Web site.
At this first meeting, present your initial vision for the school garden and
Debbie Delatour
14 Gardens for Learning: Planning Your School Garden

the role the garden support team will play, and then develop a list of people
interested in serving on the garden team. Many times people are hesitant to
sign up through large meetings, so you will want to follow up with personal
invitations to individuals you feel would make valuable members of the team.
Get as many people involved in the project as you can. The larger the project,
the larger the support network you need. The more people involved, the more
likely it is that your program will be successful, because the weight of the project
will not rest on one individual. Make sure to involve anyone who may have a
direct stake in your program, such as neighbors whose property will abut the
garden, local garden club members, and green industry employees. It is important
to contact these key players early in the planning stages to establish a feeling of
“ownership.” When people are involved in the decision making and active in the
upkeep, they are usually more supportive and less likely to get bored and quit.
Create a group of people who will work well together and invest the time,
energy, and patience to accomplish their goals. The committee should be composed
of focused individuals who are willing to meet regularly and share in the
responsibility of actually getting the garden started. Potential team members include:
Teachers. Involving other teachers in garden efforts is very important.
Teachers are valuable contributors because they have a firm understanding of
curricular goals, know your students well, and have access to school facilities and
supplies. Additionally, it’s more fun to approach the garden as a teaching team,
and it takes the burden off one educator to keep the program alive.
Maintenance Staff. Many teachers have noted that a good relationship with
the custodian is critical to a successful garden program. The custodian can help
you find valuable resources like storage closets and water sources. Also, because
the maintenance staff frequently works year-round, they can help keep an eye on
gardens during breaks and vacations. Include your maintenance staff in early planning
discussions, especially those related to garden location. If these staff members are
involved in the planning process, they will feel ownership of the program and will be
less likely to view it as an inconvenience or an unnecessary addition to their workload.
Food Service Staff. Food service staff may be able to provide resources to
aid in food preparation for nutrition lessons. Also, lunchroom scraps can provide
excellent materials for your compost pile.
Students. Teachers across the country have discovered that when students are
involved in all stages of the process, they are more
invested in the project’s success and inspired
to care for and respect their schoolyard
oases. By valuing students’ opinions
and encouraging them to make
decisions, educators cultivate
motivated, confident, and
collaborative learners. Teachers
say that although relinquishing
some control and inviting
students into the decision-making
process isn’t necessarily easier or
more efficient, it is always rewarding.
Photos: Western Growers Foundation
“ It is not so much the garden,
but rather the garden that matters.
Rachel Pringle, Educator
Alice Fong Yu Alternative ” program
School
San Francisco, CA
15

Parents. Parents will be enthusiastic about any program designed to provide
additional learning experiences for their children and will have a strong stake
in the success of your program. You may find a parent with a horticultural
background who can provide expertise, or a parent with excellent organizational
skills willing to serve as a volunteer coordinator. Parents often have connections
to funding and supplies, as well.
Community Volunteers. Additional community members add depth to
your program and open up new opportunities for resources. Look for volunteers
with garden experience and ties to the horticulture industry. In addition to providing
connections to necessary supplies, they may be willing to provide technical advice,
for example, diagnosing problems and leading special garden activities or workshops.
Contact local farmers along with public and private organizations related to the
agriculture industry. Gardens are like small farms, and agriculture professionals have
a lot of knowledge and materials to share. Community volunteers might include
garden club members, college students enrolled in plant sciences or education
programs, botanic garden staff or volunteers, plant nursery staff, landscape designers
or architects, and Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardeners.
Don’t forget your school’s neighbors! Your garden is more than an addition
to your school; it also affects the neighborhood. The neighbors can help keep an
eye on it when school is not in session. They might also be willing to help with
summer maintenance and weekend watering.
It takes time and energy to develop your support network, but it is worth
the effort. Involving the school and the local community in a schoolyard project:
• Promotes project sustainability because responsibilities don’t fall entirely on
the shoulders of one champion
• Decreases the likelihood of vandalism because more people have a stake in
the success of the program
• Provides connections to potential volunteers and donors of labor, plants,
money, and supplies
• Encourages cross-generational mentoring and friendships among students,
teachers, and a diversity of community members
• Brings needed expertise and fresh ideas to the project
Chapter 10, Working with Volunteers, has more information on involving
volunteers in your garden.
Becky Button
Monrovia
16 Gardens for Learning: Planning Your

groups (a student, a parent, a teacher,
a staff member, a community member).
Additionally, each table had a facilitator
and a participant bilingual in Spanish
and English.
Each group was given a copy of the
existing schoolyard plan and colored
pencils or markers and then asked to
use their imagination to create a dream
garden. Chris Boynton, project coordinator
of the Hayward Nutritional Learning
Community Project, describes the dream
garden activity as “more an additive than
an editive process in which people were
encouraged to include all the elements
they would like in a garden.” After
completing the drawings, the breakout
groups shared their creations with
the larger group.
The dream plans were
compiled into a schoolyard
design presented to the garden
committee, principal, and school
staff. Although involving the whole
community in the design process
required extensive planning and
coordination, Chris believes it
was worth the effort. At the end
of the community meeting, a
participant approached her and
said, “This was an amazing event.
As I walked in, I thought, ‘we’ll
never be able to understand each
other,’ because I only speak English
and I assumed that most of the
people in the room spoke Spanish.
I thought language would keep
us apart. But it didn’t. In fact,
we learned more language from
each other through the process.
At one point, one of the students asked
the table to spell vegetable and he was
told by two of his classmates: vegetable
and vegetales, so he wrote both down.
Even if we never build this community
garden, a community was built tonight.”
The Cherryland Elementary School
garden design was more than a map for
installation; it inspired relationships and
built a foundation for a new and more
supportive community.
“ This was an amazing event.... Even if
we never build this community garden,
a community was built tonight.
” Becky Button
Program Spotlight
Building a Community by Planning a Garden
Cherryland Elementary School, Hayward, CA
The garden committee members at
Cherryland Elementary School in
Hayward collaborated with Lauri
Twitchell, University of California Botanical
Gardens school garden specialist, to involve
their entire community in the planning of
their school garden using a community
workshop process known as a “charrette.”
The process began with school
administrators and teachers defining the
goals for the garden. The overarching
goals are for students to develop a
respect and appreciation for their health
and the health of other living things and
the environment while gaining joy from
collaborative work and accomplishments
in a larger community project. In the next
part of the “charrette,” each student drew
an individual dream garden, and parents
were surveyed about what they would like
their students to learn through gardening
activities. Additionally, a site evaluation
was completed so participants could
evaluate the physical characteristics of the
school grounds.
A highlight of the planning process
was a collaborative meeting with
the parents/ caregivers, students,
administrators, teachers, school staff
(including the custodian and cafeteria
manager), Hayward Nutritional Learning
Community staff, and other interested
community members. Approximately 100
individuals participated. The meeting
began with dinner, following which
the group was divided into tables of
about 10. Participants were asked to
group themselves so that each table
had a representative from the various
17

Step 3: Identifying Goals and Linking the
Garden to Your Curriculum
The first job of your garden team is to identify goals for the school garden.
Your goals must tie in with your current curriculum – the garden is a tool to help
you accomplish your learning objectives, not an added task for your workload.
Begin your team’s goal-setting meeting by sharing information about required
academic standards, then brainstorm ways to accomplish these learning objectives
through garden lessons. Use these questions as a guide:
• What topics do you want to teach through the garden?
• What plants do you want to grow?
• Do you want to use the garden once a year for an in-depth special study or
incorporate it into a yearlong interdisciplinary curriculum?
• Do you want to develop the garden around a central theme or create small
garden areas with multiple themes?
• Which classes will be involved in the garden? Do
they want their own gardening space?
When setting goals, remember to start small and leave
room to dream. You can accomplish this by setting both
short-term and long-term goals. For instance, you may
want to create a butterfly garden in a half-acre courtyard
at the school. Make it a multiyear project and break it
into stages to keep the work at a manageable level, so that
you don’t exhaust the enthusiasm of your students and
volunteers early on by preparing soil and removing weeds
on a large area. In addition, this method allows for project
growth each year, adding momentum to your efforts and
creating feelings of ownership from new participants.
After your brainstorming sessions, make sure to get
your goals into writing. Create a summary document and
distribute it to all the participants. Also share your plans
with other teachers, administrators, and community
members. This document will help to raise awareness of
your new project, spreading excitement and anticipation.
Step 4: Designing the Garden
With goals in hand, you are ready to design your garden. The garden design
should be practical, functional, and fun! Involve your students and garden team in
the process. A school garden can be as small as a few containers in a courtyard or
as large as a 10-bed vegetable garden in the playground. Chapter 5, Designing Your
School Garden, will walk you through the steps of designing your garden.
Step 5: Identifying Supply Needs and Funding Needs
Before you begin searching for financial support and donations, make a list of
materials and supplies needed. Estimate the costs for the entire project and prepare
a realistic budget. Remember to include expenses for the site development and
18 Gardens for Learning: Planning Your School Garden

improvement, operation, curriculum, and miscellaneous items. If you skip
this step and do not take time to organize your efforts, you might end
up with an abundance of supplies, but still be missing key items. Chapter
6, Finding Supplies and Funding Your Garden, gives detailed information
on this important aspect of school garden projects.
Step 6: Obtaining Supplies and Funds
Once you’ve accurately identified what your garden project needs,
you’re ready to take the next step to meet those needs. Finding the
resources to implement your vision may be a challenge, but it is also
an opportunity to get more of your community actively involved and
invested in your program. Most schools find funding and supplies
through donations, grants, and fundraising projects. Chapter 6, Finding
Supplies and Funding Your Garden, will guide you through this process.
Step 7: Planting the Garden
The most exciting part of the process is always Planting Day.
Watching a landscape design turn into a garden energizes students and
adults. Chapter 7, Planting Your School Garden, will walk you through
the basics of garden installation, including preparing the soil, laying out
the design, and digging in.
Step 8: Maintaining the Garden
Students learn about nurturing and responsibility when they participate in
garden maintenance. Chapter 8, Maintaining Your School Garden, provides an
overview of basic maintenance tasks. However, care will vary greatly depending
on the size of the garden, the plants in it, and its environment.
Step 9: Sustaining the Garden
There is more to continuing your garden than keeping the plants alive.
Considering the time and resources invested, your garden program should serve
as an education tool for this year’s students and for students using it 10 years
from now. You also should create a positive garden experience for all participants.
Chapter 9 provides tips from experienced school garden educators on how to
sustain your garden efforts, including ideas for outdoor classroom management
and communicating success.
This guidebook concludes with a resource section to aid you in beginning
your school garden. Even though having a garden teaching tool is the ultimate
goal, remember that each step of this process provides valuable learning
experiences for you and your students. Don’t get bogged down in the details –
enjoy the adventures along the way!
“ Judy Huffaker
What a wonderful goal it is to
have a garden in every as we know, there is a ” school ... for
school in
19
every garden!
Secretary A.G. Kawamura
California Department
of Food and Agriculture

“ Linking
Gardens for Learning: Linking Gardens to School Curriculum
Teachers use the garden as a
meaningful tool for integrating
science with core curriculum. The
garden helps to make learning
accessible to all students regardless
of their background, talents, or
language proficiency. When
”
Gardens to
School Curriculum
The following pages provide ideas on how to integrate gardening with
classroom curriculum. Although science is the most natural fit, with the school
garden playing the role of science laboratory, the classroom garden can also
act as a springboard for a wide range of lessons in mathematics, history-social
science, English-language arts, visual and performing arts, and health. Begin
by looking at the education standards and your own curriculum goals and making a
list or map of areas you intend to cover. Make a second list of garden tasks, projects,
and goals, and match them with the student outcomes detailed in the standards. Next,
select or develop specific activities that can help students achieve the standards. The
lists that follow represent just a sampling of garden-focused
subject area activities to get you started.
Free garden curriculum resources for teachers are
plentiful. Check out the “Curriculum” link on the California
School Garden Network Web site at www.csgn.org for lesson
and activity ideas. Additionally, the California Department
of Education published the book A Child’s Garden of Standards:
Linking School Gardens to California Education Standards, Grades Two
Through Six, which identifies specific activities found in a variety
of commonly used curriculum books that meet California
standards in science, history-social science, mathematics, and
English-language arts.
Science
The garden provides ample opportunity for making
science inviting and relevant to students’ lives by inspiring active
exploration and problem solving. The garden encourages inquiry
as students use their senses, reasoning, and communication
skills to find answers to questions. These experiences can help
improve students’ attitude toward science. Key science concepts
that can be explored in the garden include organisms, cycles, basic requirements for
life, plant anatomy, adaptations, food webs, decomposition, interdepen-dence, ecological
principles, pollination, and diversity of life. Students practice and hone scientific
process skills by observing, classifying, inferring, measuring, predicting, organizing and
interpreting data, forming hypotheses, and identifying variables.
students plan, plant, care for, and
analyze their gardens, science and
learning take on meaning like
20
never before.
Lance Omeje, Teacher
Yokomi Elementary School
Fresno, CA
Judy Huffaker

Below are a few ideas for life, physical, and earth science activities in the
classroom garden.
Life Science
• What are the differences between living and nonliving things? How are
humans like plants? How are they different? Distinguish and describe
differences and similarities.
• How does a plant grow? Observe the life cycles of plants using fast-growing
plants in your classroom.
• What do plants need to grow? Do all plants need the same things? Study the
various conditions that different plants need to grow. Compare the things people
need to the things plants need. Create experiments investigating what happens when
plants are exposed to different amounts of light, water, air, space, and nutrients.
• Investigate the functions of different plant structures (cotyledons, roots, stems,
leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds).
• How do plants reproduce? How do seeds work? Dissect flowers and seeds.
What factors influence germination of seeds? Create experiments to investigate
how light, heat, and moisture affect germination.
• Explain to students that some characteristics are inherited and others are
caused by the environment. Locate examples of both in your garden.
• How do plants use energy from the sun to make food? Discuss photosynthesis.
Do plants need light to photosynthesize?
• Discuss how plants adapt for survival. Research adaptations of seeds for
dispersal and adaptations of flowers for attracting pollinators. Observe
pollinators in the garden.
“Instead of learning the parts of a
plant by lecture or reading,
my students have learned them
by growing their own plants,
examining root systems, adding
water, and graphing and charting
the growth. My students will
definitely remember these lessons.
”
Sarah Smith
Merced County Educator
California Foundation for Agriculture
in the Classroom Ambassador
21

• Investigate the impact of environmental changes on plants.
• Study wildlife and insects along with their habitats.
• Investigate food chains and webs. Demonstrate how plants are the
primary source of energy for all food chains.
Earth Science
• Create a garden weather station. Record daily measurements and
compare conditions with plant growth.
• How are some soils different from others? Compare and contrast the
properties of different types of soils (density, air spaces, presence of
living organisms, composition, texture, smell, appearance).
• Simulate soil erosion in your classroom garden. Observe the
difference in soil loss when water is splashed on a tilted, planted pot,
and on a tilted, unplanted (but soil-filled) pot.
Physical Science
• What is pH? How does it affect plants? Use litmus paper or a test kit
to test the pH of different soils. Investigate how plants respond to
soils with different pH levels.
• Simulate the water cycle in the indoor garden by covering it with
a “dome” of clear plastic. Study and observe the transpiration,
evaporation, and condensation of water.
• What are the properties of different types of light? Cover pots with
cellophane of different colors to screen out all but one wavelength
of light from plants. Observe plant growth.
• How does energy change to matter during photosynthesis?
Mathematics
The garden provides a plethora of opportunities to practice basic
mathematical activities such as calculations, comparisons, measurements, and
varied representations of data (charts, graphs, etc.). Math becomes practical and
relevant when students implement concepts they have learned in the classroom
in a real-life garden setting. Designing and planting a garden takes mathematical
problem solving and practice. The hands-on applications presented by gardening
activities can help to motivate students often confused by abstract textbook
questions and examples. Here are a few math activity ideas:
• Measure the growth rates of plants and display results on different types
of graphs. Make predictions regarding future growth. Use standard and
nonstandard units of measurement.
• Host a bean race. Plant a number of beans at the base of a trellis and track
their growth on a chart. Determine the rate of growth and award the fastest
plant a blue ribbon.
• Using information from seed catalogs, predict dates of germination and maturity.
• Plan backward from a desired harvest date to determine when each crop
should be planted.
• Measure your garden parameters and calculate the area. Use graph paper
to make a map to scale of your garden.
• Calculate amounts of fertilizer to use per quart and per liter of water.
Debbie Delatour
“
My students will never remember
the chapter in the math textbook
on double-digit division, but they
will always remember the year they
grew carrots and used their division
skills to figure out how many each student in fourth grade got to take home.
Jesse David Johnson
Tulare County Educator
”
carrots
and fifth
California Foundation for Agriculture in
the Classroom conference attendee
22 Gardens for Learning: Linking Gardens to School Cur r iculum

Program Spotlight
the program is to teach academic literacy,
but it is put into a science context and
applied in the garden. Approximately 25
teachers and 600 students participate each
year. Students are in class each weekday
morning for four weeks; in the afternoon,
teachers participate in professional
development programs to increase their
content knowledge and expand their
use of inquiry-based teaching methods.
Program staff coordinate maintenance of
and activities at the garden throughout
the summer. Through this program, both
the students and the teachers receive
invaluable training. One summer school
teacher commented, “I
believe integrating science,
language, and literacy is
natural. Science is an easy
and interesting way to
teach language and literacy
because students are
engaged by the lessons, and
the lessons lend themselves
to linking language into
science. The garden is a
wonderful context in which
this can happen.”
According to the Monterey
Bay Science Project’s
manager, Alicia Dickerson, a
main benefit of this program
is that it puts language into
a “real context” for the
students. “The students
go from lacking academic
self-confidence, to gaining
a tremendous amount of
confidence about themselves
and their potential. In the garden, they
learn how to ask questions about the
world and make meaning for themselves,
coming away with new ways of thinking,
new concepts and new words,” she says.
The garden activities are engaging, and
they inspire and motivate students to
learn. A study conducted by researchers at
University of California, Santa Cruz, found:
• When language growth was
measured with a standardized assessment
of academic language, students progressed
faster in the Summer School Academy than
would be expected for that time period,
achieving as much as three months of
growth in four weeks.
• Students showed dramatic increases in
the scientific accuracy of their performance
on a concept mapping activity. At the
beginning of the summer academy,
an average of 13.9 percent of their
propositions showed accurate scientific
knowledge. By the end, the number was
52.5 percent.
• Students increased their use of
science vocabulary.
• Students demonstrated improved
math skills.
The benefits of the program are both
immediate and long term, as the students
use their new knowledge to help them
succeed during the school year. The
Summer School Academy demonstrates the
power of school gardens as interdisciplinary
teaching tools for standards-based
curriculum. On top of the learning
experience, both teachers and students
have fun while teaching and learning.
That’s a combination that’s hard to beat.
23
Summer School Academy
Monterey Bay Science Project, Life Lab
Each summer the Monterey Bay Science
Project of Life Lab Science Program
coordinates a special Summer School
Academy program in the tri-county area
of Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito.
Through this program, teachers use a
combination of state-adopted curriculum
and the Life Lab garden curriculum to
teach English language development to
students using hands-on, garden-based
lessons.
The project began in 1995 with funding
from the National Science Foundation and
continues today with support from the
California Science Project. The main focus of
The benefits of this program
are both immediate and long term,
as students use knowledge gained
to help them succeed during
the school year.

“ • Chart temperatures of the air and soil in your garden in Fahrenheit and
”
centigrade.
• Determine the weight and volume of soil mix when wet and dry. Determine
the volume of soil in a rectangular window box.
• Investigate vegetable prices in a supermarket. Track the amount of produce
harvested in your garden and use the market prices to determine the value
of your harvest.
• Count the number of seeds planted and the number of seeds that sprout and
calculate the germination rate.
• Measure the height of a group of plants and determine the mean, median,
and mode.
• Calculate serving sizes of different fruits and vegetables using common
cooking supplies.
• Make a recipe that uses fruits and vegetables from the garden and requires
various measuring techniques.
History—Social Science
Plants are an important part of world history. They have influenced human
civilizations and economies since the beginning, and as the base of all food chains
and supplier of oxygen for our air, they will always be essential to our survival.
Gardening activities can be used to teach students about specific historical events
and cultures, and also to introduce current events like the impact of
biotechnology. Some gardening activity ideas:
• Research and report on cultural or ethnic differences in food
consumption and gardening practices.
• Research agricultural history and create a timeline of important
events.
• Visit some local farms and interview farmers about choice
of crops, growing practices, marketing, and farm history.
• Study the contribution of Native American foods and other
cultures’ foods to our history and diet. Grow samples in the
school garden.
• Research the histories of classroom garden plants. Discover where
they originated, the impact they’ve had on our diets, and how
today’s varieties differ from the original plants. Locate their origin
on a map and then trace their movement around the world.
• Use the Thanksgiving holiday to explore meals throughout
history and the different crops grown and harvested at that time
of the year.
• Complete a site analysis of the school garden and create a
garden map noting important features, including a north arrow.
• Trace the path of a fruit or vegetable from the field to the table.
• Use the classroom garden to complement a study of the
influence of climate on food production.
• As a class, develop garden rules and then vote on them.
The garden is a tool to provide real-life
experiences in reading
and math, and an opportunity
for teachers to extend learning
beyond the classroom. In addition,
Kennedy’s garden is a vehicle to
help ‘harder-to-reach’ students
form a positive connection with our
school. Participating in our garden
program has boosted their self-esteem
and academic performance.
Lawrence Quismondo
Samuel Kennedy Elementary School
Sacramento, CA
24

English-Language Arts
Reading and writing are two very important
classroom basics, and mastery of these skills provides
students with the power to succeed. Relating language arts
exercises to the garden can add an element of fun, too.
Example activities:
• Keep daily garden journals documenting observations,
weather conditions, and classroom activities.
• Research the growing habits of the school garden
plants using the Internet and reference material.
Create a planting schedule based on the information.
• Write letters to local merchants explaining the
school gardening project and asking for donations.
• Write thank you notes to volunteers and garden
sponsors.
• Write, illustrate, and publish a collection of garden
stories and poems.
• Brainstorm different adjectives to describe each plant in your garden.
• Study new vocabulary that relates to plants and gardens.
• Publish a class newsletter with student articles about the garden and
distribute it to other classrooms and parents.
• Write step-by-step instructions for common garden activities.
• Follow written instructions to perform a garden task like planting seeds.
• Read books and stories about plants and gardens.
• Write a research paper on a favorite plant, including source citation.
• Prepare and deliver a presentation about the garden for other students,
teachers, and parents.
• Learn about the origins of scientific plant names.
• Read a garden magazine article highlighting a plant and distinguish between
the facts and opinions presented by the writer.
• Research the nutritional value of your favorite garden vegetable and then
write a script for a 60-second advertisement designed to get more people
to grow and eat it.
Visual and Performing Arts
Nature is the inspiration for many works of art, dance, music, and drama.
Your school garden is a small piece of nature that can inspire budding artists.
Activity ideas:
• Create paintings and drawings of garden plants.
• Paint a class garden mural to hang in the hallway for parents’ night.
• Make a seed mosaic.
• Create a color wheel collage using pictures from old seed catalogs.
• Make musical instruments from gourds and learn how to play them.
• Make prints using paint and stamps made from various plant parts.
• Create and perform a garden-inspired dance expressing the growth of
a seed or the opening of a flower bud.
“A school garden presents an ideal
context for teaching interpersonal
and cross-cultural content, skills, and
values. Aspects of social education
and lessons in cultural diversity can
be intended outcomes of classroom
gardening, along with knowledge
of plants and soil. When children
”
25
examine gardening in a cross-cultural
and global context, they
develop an increased appreciation
for human and plant diversity. They
begin to grasp how geography,
economics, and history play a role
in gardening today and, in the
process, learn how their decisions as
cultivators, consumers, and citizens
may have a local and global impact.
Doni Kwolek Kobus, Ed.D.
Professor Emerita of Teacher Education
California State University
Stanislaus, CA

• Pantomime various gardening tasks (transplanting, fertilizing, sowing seeds,
pollinating).
• Learn a collection of songs that relate to food, gardens, and the environment.
• Draw your dream garden.
• Listen to the music of composers inspired by nature.
• Build clay or tissue paper models of flowers.
• Use leaves to make crayon rubbings or fossils in clay.
• Using a movie camera with single-frame capability, make a time-lapse film
of a plant growing.
• Create a skit about food safety.
• Paint a classroom mural using samples of different soils as the medium.
Health and Nutrition
Research continues to document the significant health benefits of eating
fruits and vegetables, and yet most children do not eat the recommended daily
amount. Growing fruits and vegetables in the school garden improves students’
attitudes toward these healthy foods and motivates reluctant eaters to try them.
You can use the garden as a hands-on tool to teach nutrition lessons, including
the importance of fruits and vegetables and proper food preparation techniques.
Specific activity ideas:
“Jim Morris/California Farm Bureau Federation
Using agriculture as an integrating
• Compare the importance of nutrients in the health of humans and of plants.
• Study the nutritional value of the various crops in your garden.
• Identify the parts of the plant represented by common fruits and vegetables.
• Discuss the difference in nutritional value of various plant parts.
• Study adaptations of plant parts that make them good food sources.
• Sprout various seeds for eating.
• Conduct a blindfolded taste test using classroom-grown vegetables and
supermarket vegetables.
• Experiment with food preservation techniques, such as drying, freezing, and
canning.
• Grow a salad garden and give students a chance to
sample the harvest with a salad party.
• Invite a grocery store employee to talk to the class
about where their products come from.
• Visit a local farm.
• Create brochures with information on daily
food intake recommendations.
• Plan a day’s menu that includes all
components of a balanced diet.
• Keep food journals that highlight how
many fruits and vegetables are eaten and
describe any new produce tried. ”
context for learning can be
relatively simple, thanks to resources
such as the California Foundation
for Agriculture in the Classroom;
Food, Land, and People; the State
Department of Education; the
Center for Ecoliteracy; the Hansen
Agricultural Learning Center; the
Life Lab Science Program; and the
Center for Land-Based Learning.
If you look at how teachers
incorporate food and agriculture as
an instructional strategy, the range
of involvement stretches across the
curriculum and into the community.
Dan Desmond, Retired Advisor
University of California
Cooperative Extension
Placerville, CA
5 A Day

Learning about Ancient Civilizations through Gardening
Vista de Las Cruces School, Gaviota, CA
write about it,
make recipes,
and create a
realistic antique-looking
label
“ Next time you eat a bowlful
” to summarize
their food. The
recipes have
been included
in a school
cookbook
now being
sold in four
bookstores in
Santa Barbara County.” Students then plant
some of the researched crops and use the
harvest “to help supply school celebrations
such as our Thanksgiving feast, community
philanthropic luncheons, the Winter Program
dinner and fundraiser meals,” Tina explains.
Vista de Las Cruces School formed
a garden club that meets on a regular
of rice, think how easy it is for you
to go and buy it at a store, because
back in ancient times they had
to cultivate, harvest, and maybe
import the rice. It was a very,
very hard job.
basis to ensure
the success of the
program. Tina shares
quotes from some of
her students:
“The reason I
liked the Farmers’
Market is because I
got to eat food that
I have never eaten
such as date balls.
And I got to use my
own ideas.”
“I learned a
lot about beans. I
thought that they
just came from
Mexico, but
I was wrong.
They came
from Egypt
and other
places.”
“Next
time you eat
a bowlful of
rice, think
how easy it
is for you to
go and buy
it at a store,
because back in ancient times they had to
cultivate, harvest, and maybe import the
rice. It was a very, very hard job.”
The Ancient Civilizations Farmers’
Market curriculum goes beyond history
class. It integrates language arts, social
studies, math, and visual arts lessons and
activities. It also provides students with
an appreciation for agriculture and an
understanding of the role of farmers in
the past and present.
27
Program Spotlight
After attending the 2001 California
Foundation for Agriculture in the
Classroom conference, elementary
teacher Tina McEnroe of Vista de Las
Cruces School developed the Ancient
Civilizations Farmers’ Market curriculum
to reinforce the garden experience and
involve the community.
Tina notes that the curriculum allows
students “the
opportunity to
stroll back in time
to understand the
effect of ancient
civilizations on
the world, as they
research the history
of indigenous foods
in the civilizations of
early Mesopotamia,
Egypt, Persia, China,
Rome, Greece, and
Mayan Yucatan.
Students choose a
food to research
and then they
Paul McEnroe
“ I learned a lot about beans. I thought
that they just came from Mexico,
but I was wrong. They came from
Egypt and other places.
”

• Invite chefs from the community to do cooking demonstrations for students
and parents. Coordinate a cooking lesson in your school’s kitchen using the
produce your class has grown.
• Ask cafeteria managers to share safe food handling information and provide
tours of school kitchens.
• Invite a registered dietitian to visit classrooms and discuss healthy food
choices and healthy preparation methods in connection with MyPyramid.gov.
• Present a skit or puppet show about food safety.
• Use MyPyramid.gov to help you choose a healthy diet. Come up with tasty
recipes that use lots of fruits and vegetables and little fat or sugar.
• Create a classroom or school recipe book that features produce grown
in school gardens.
• Compare the nutritional content of different colors of a specific variety of
vegetables, e.g., salad greens. Graph the Vitamin A content in the lighter-colored
greens and in darker greens. Contrast this with other vegetables.
• Research and compare fruits and vegetables with various origins. Identify
cultural dishes and their preparation methods. Host an “international day”
and provide healthful samplings of fruits and vegetables from those cultures.
• Incorporate literature using the book Stone Soup and involve students in
making their own stone soup. Have students discuss the benefits of the
ingredients and how they fit into MyPyramid.
• Research cultural holidays and the symbolism of
particular fruits and vegetables that are included
during those holidays. For example, identify the
symbolism of tangerines in the Chinese New Year
celebration.
• Create a public service announcement or school
announcement promoting fruits and vegetables. The
promotion could highlight something growing in the
garden, a fruit or vegetable offered in the cafeteria,
or both. This will encourage students to develop
skills for marketing food choices.
• Grow and use fresh herbs to flavor your dishes
with natural ingredients and decrease the use of
salt in recipes.
• Visit a local farmers’ market or start a school
farmers’ market.
These ideas are just a sampling of the classroom
gardening activities available to you. Search books,
magazines, and Web sites for additional ideas. Also,
as you grow with your garden, you will create many
activities of your own. Be sure to pass them along to
other teachers and parents.
“ I used to fear math, but working
in the garden has changed that. I
have a higher grade now. ” When we
made salsa, we sold 150 pints at
$3 a pint and made $450. The best
part was when we got to
collect and count the money.
Student
Turner Elementary
Fresno, CA

Promoting
Healthy Living
“Nutrition is an essential building block for student success. Healthy, active, and
well-nourished children are more likely to attend school and are more prepared
and motivated to learn. While the primary responsibility of schools is to foster
academic achievement, schools have an exceptional opportunity to guide children
toward healthier lifestyles by creating a healthy nutrition environment.”
Deborah Tamannaie, Nutrition Services Division
California Department of Education A child’s mental and physical development is closely tied to good nutrition
and healthy eating habits. Health habits also affect children’s behavior and
social growth. As an educator, you may use numerous teaching strategies
to engage students, but you will quickly learn your efforts are ineffective if
a child’s diet has not met his or her basic nutritional needs. It is important
for a child to consume a well-balanced diet and participate in regular physical
activity if he or she is to experience success in school. In addition, developing
positive eating habits during childhood contributes to optimal health, boosts self-esteem,
and decreases the risk of immediate and long-term health problems.
“ By attracting students to eating
vegetables and salads at an early
age, we can help nutritious eating
be part of their diets continue into their and adult years.
Colleen Underwood, Principal
Brightwood Elementary ”
as they
teen
School
Alhambra Unified School District, CA
Gardens for Learning: Promoting Healthy Living 29

Because children spend much of their time at school, educators like you play
a powerful role in influencing students’ physical activity and the food choices
they make both at school and at home. You can incorporate nutrition education
and physical activity throughout the curriculum and reinforce these subjects
through hands-on activities that allow students to practice smart decision-making
skills. A growing number of children are overweight, unfit, or both, and shortfalls
in recommended nutrients and regular physical activity are contributing factors.
Thus, it is important for schools to establish an environment that fosters the
development of healthy lifestyles.
A healthy school environment provides students with opportunities to gain
knowledge of and practice positive eating and exercise behaviors. Schools can use
multiple strategies to create this environment, but the school garden has proven
to be a very useful tool. It is a fun and effective way to introduce nutrition basics
and provide opportunities for physical activity. Research on the health benefits
resulting from school garden programs has found:
• Students who plant and harvest their own fruits and vegetables are more
likely to eat them.1
• Students with garden experience who participated in a nutrition education
program not only ate more fruits and vegetables to begin with, but also
demonstrated greater increases in consumption by the conclusion of the
program.2
• Students who participated in classroom nutrition education programs in
conjunction with growing vegetables in outdoor gardens demonstrated an
increase in nutrition knowledge and improved preference for vegetables.3, 4
• Students participating in a full food system program (“seed-to-table”) who
made the greatest gains in overall understanding of ecological principles
also made significantly greater gains in the number of fruit and vegetable
servings they reported eating.5
30 Gardens for Learning: Promot ing Heal thy Living
“
My students clearly have an
increased knowledge of where
their food comes from and how
it is grown. They now have the
ability to grow some of the food
at their own homes. The garden-based
nutrition program increased their knowledge desire to eat healthy food be physically active every Mary Pat Horn, Teacher
Bayside Elementary
”
has greatly
and
and to
day.
Sausalito, CA

Program Spotlight
Nutrition in the Community Garden
Baldwin Park, CA
Baldwin Park Unified
School District is involving
its whole community in
educating students about good
nutrition. Through a partnership
with the City of Baldwin Park,
Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park
Medical Center, and Moveable
Feast Program, an innovative
curriculum titled “Nutrition
in the Community Garden”
was developed that combined
horticulture and nutrition
lessons in an outdoor classroom
at Baldwin Park Community
Garden. Through the program,
students visit the garden monthly and learn
the ins and outs of growing fruits and
vegetables through hands-on activities.
Their garden time is followed by a cooking
demonstration with an educator using a
portable kitchen cart to prepare special
fruit- or vegetable-based recipes and teach
students about basic kitchen skills. The
program encourages physical activity through
gardening and promotes healthy eating
through the preparation of easy, low-calorie,
lowfat recipes that children can make on their
own. The ultimate goals of the program are
to work toward combating the rising trend
of childhood obesity, to provide students
with the necessary skills to increase their
consumption of fruits and vegetables, and to
create healthy snacks and meals. In addition
to the programming in the garden, teachers
are provided with additional curricula to
continue the gardening-nutrition link in the
classroom, further reinforcing better eating
habits among their students.
The program began in the fall of 2003
with two classes, and since then, it has grown
to accommodate six classes of fourth graders.
To increase community involvement, in 2005
the program also incorporated an exciting
“Guest Chef” component. Community
representatives came to the garden to serve
as positive role models by demonstrating for
the children how to make delicious, healthy
recipes. Guests included nutrition and health-care
professionals, newspaper and television
reporters, school administrators, agricultural
crop council representatives, city council
members, California state assembly members,
and even a U.S. Congress representative.
A unique aspect of the “Guest Chef”
component is that guests also briefly describe
their jobs, thus introducing students to
possible future career paths.
On a post-test given at the end of
the school year, 91 percent of students
reported an increase in fruit and vegetable
consumption by at least one serving when
compared with their responses at the
“ Nutrition and gardening
are a perfect marriage
to promote good ” health.
beginning of the program,
indicating an important influence
on eating behaviors. Additionally,
students received a cookbook of
healthy recipes, and 58 percent
of students reported duplicating
at least one of these recipes at
home. Through the cookbook,
the education extends beyond
the students to affect their
families too.
Program Director Linda Hahn
credits the program’s success
to the strong community-wide
investment in the program.
She notes that “this is truly a
Bonnie Estrada
collaborative effort, requiring a huge invest-ment
of support from many entities within
Baldwin Park.” She’s found that “nutrition
and gardening are a perfect marriage to
promote good health. Children are physically
active when they garden, and they learn the
relationship between agriculture and food
on the table when they harvest the produce
and make it on the spot in my nutrition
program. The garden setting, coupled with
the nutrition program, provides a learning
lab that takes children from the beginning of
a process to the end – from planting seeds
to sampling healthy food grown from those
seeds. Lifelong skills that will sustain these
children – how to grow their own food; how
to prepare their own food; how to have fun
doing both – are a hallmark of this program.
The fact that children expend energy while
gardening is another plus in the fight against
childhood obesity. The program encourages
them to be physically active in a lifelong activ-ity
they can enjoy.”

Because of scientific research results like these as well as copious anecdotal
evidence, the use of gardens in teaching nutrition has become a more frequent
practice. Some of the nutritional concepts introduced and reinforced by the
garden are below.
The Importance of Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are a vital part of a healthy diet, providing many of
the nutrients children need for growth, development, and prevention of chronic
diseases later in life. These include essential vitamins and minerals, dietary fiber,
water, and phytonutrients. Unfortunately, most children are not eating enough
fruits and vegetables to meet the recommendations of the most recent Dietary
Guidelines for Americans because they lack access to a variety of fresh produce
and because their existing food preferences do not include fruits and vegetables.
School gardens help promote fruit and vegetable consumption as a means of
shaping food preferences early in children’s lives and can serve as a source of
fresh fruits and vegetables in children’s diets. Students will try foods they would
normally turn away because of the additional motivation and excitement of
eating something they grew. They also learn the skills to grow their own food,
offering a lifetime of potential fresh foods.
Gardens for Learning: Promoting Healthy Living
The Origins of Foods
Through the garden, children gain an appreciation for the origin of their
food. By participating in food production, they discover that food does not
magically appear on the table or at the grocery store, but rather is produced on a
farm. Because of this experience, they are better able to grasp concepts related to
agriculture and its importance to the social and economic makeup of California.
This experience also leads to students’ appreciation of the work that goes into the
food they eat and respect for the environment that allows it to grow.
The garden provides opportunities to teach students about the importance
of the soil in the production of food, increasing their esteem for this vital natural
resource. They learn how the soil provides important nutrients to ensure that the
plants are healthy and productive. Fertilizing your garden replenishes the nutrient
content of the soil. Increasing nutrient availability to the plants to help them grow
is an essential step in raising healthy, nutritious foods.
Healthy Food Choices
An important part of gardening is learning to meet plants’ basic needs for
good growth and production. Nourishing your garden replenishes the nutrient
content of the soil to grow strong plants just as eating healthy foods helps
children grow up healthy and strong. If your students neglect their plants
by forgetting to water them or by not providing proper fertilizer, they will
immediately see the signs of stress. Compare the basic needs of plants to the basic
needs of people. Teach students how important it is for them to nurture their
own bodies just as they care for the plants in their garden.
“
Western Growers Foundation In the garden, nutrition learning
just happens. Unlike the food in the
supermarket that is largely uniform,
odorless, and often unhealthy,
nature’s foods are variable, full of
life, and almost always nutritious. So
developing a taste for really fresh
fruits and vegetables is the best
insurance against a bad matters most, as a wise once said, is what you So take them to the garden ”
diet; what
nutritionist
don’t eat.
and let
32
them graze.
Joan Dye Gussow
Mary Swartz Rose Professor Emerita
of Nutrition and Education
Teachers College, Columbia University
New York, NY

Program Spotlight
The Nutrition Network
Los Angeles Unified School District
The Nutrition Network in the
Los Angeles Unified School
District actively promotes the
use of school gardens as a tool for
nutrition education. More than 140
schools included school gardening
as a nutrition education strategy
in their action plans in the 2004-
2005 school year. Nutrition Network
Teacher Advisor Tonya Mandl writes
this about her experience with
garden-based nutrition programs:
“I’ll never forget the excitement
of my fourth graders when they
discovered that they could actually
‘just pick the broccoli flowers and
eat them!’ And when another class
exclaimed that the salad they had
just prepared from their harvest was
‘the best’ they’d ever eaten. One
group of students learned that onions
were sweet, and another that raw bell
peppers taste delicious. Even preparing the
garden for planting can be an outlet for
children; one fifth grader, who often ran
into trouble with classmates and found
it challenging to focus in the classroom,
looked up at me after shoveling soil, a big
smile on his sweaty face, exclaiming, ‘This
is fun!’
“In my after-school nutrition gardening
club, a group of approximately 30 students,
ages 6 to 11, tended a patch of collard
greens. Each day they would ask, ‘Are
they ready to pick yet?’ Finally, our garden
club turned into a cooking club when
we harvested and prepared the greens
together, with the help of a grandmother
from the South who shared her own family
“ I’ll never forget the excitement of my
fourth graders when they discovered
that they could actually ‘just broccoli flowers and eat recipe. The children enjoyed their ” pick the
them!’
greens so
much that several of them asked if there
were enough to take home to their moms!
The garden is a place for students to be
caretakers for other growing things, and
then experience the ‘fruits’ of their labor
first-hand.
“The essential components of garden-based
nutrition education are cultivation,
caretaking, harvesting, preparation,
and eating,” shares Tonya. “By actively
participating in planting and caring for
vegetables, students gain an understanding
of agriculture and an appreciation for
fresh food. By harvesting, preparing,
and eating the vegetables that they
have grown themselves, students
experience a tasty thrill they would not
have otherwise. This formula instills
a love of fresh produce that children
want to share with their families.”
Tonya has found that “when
students not only learn the process of
getting food to the table, but actively
participate in it, they are much more
eager to try a wider range of foods.
As our founder, Nonnie Korten, once
said, ‘We have seen children who
balk at eating vegetables eat them
with great relish when they grow
them and nurture them themselves.
When they grow it, they eat it.’ A key
component to nutrition gardening
Tonya Mandl
is the harvest. It is recommended that
traditional calendar schools plant fruits
and vegetables that ripen early, such as
radishes, green beans, and strawberries, so
that students can experience harvesting,
preparing, and eating their plants.
Without this, students will not make the
connection between what they grow and
what they eat.”
In addition to nutrition education, the
Nutrition Network has identified other
benefits to school gardening, including
the outdoor physical activity involved in
cultivating, planting, and weeding. The
network has led workshops on “Getting
Physical in the Garden” where students do
exercises like “Climbing the beanstalk,”
“Stomping the mulch,” and “Growing like a
plant.”

Food Preparation
Students can grow fruits and vegetables in their garden, and after harvest,
they can learn and practice proper food handling techniques, food preparation,
and cooking skills. Although the garden will focus on fruits and vegetables, you
can use recipes that teach students how to incorporate other healthy foods like
whole-grain carbohydrates and low-fat dairy and protein products to achieve
a balanced diet. Cooking demonstrations and hands-on cooking activities help
students gain experience and confidence in their food preparation skills.
Physical Activity
In addition to encouraging good eating behaviors,
gardening is enjoyable, relaxing, and a great form
of physical activity. A benefit of adding gardening
to a regular exercise program is that it is an activity
that can be enjoyed for a lifetime. Go for Green
(www.goforgreen.ca) provides the following examples of
physical benefits of garden activities:
• Digging involves weight lifting, abdominal
stressing, and partial squatting.
• Pruning makes you hold your arms up while
stretching.
• Weeding involves squats and forearm stretches.
• Planting requires many muscles to be used, as
you dig, mix soil, lift, carry, and backfill, often in
a squatting position.
Other sources of physical activity in the garden
include turning compost heaps, clearing out beds for
a new planting, mixing potting soils, lifting planters,
raking leaves, hoeing, digging fence post holes,
moving soil between beds, and spreading mulch.
Resources for Educators
A number of educational programs exist to support you in teaching and
encouraging healthy eating and exercise behaviors using garden programs.
Although it would be impossible to list them all in this book, below are a few
examples to help begin your search.
California Department of Education: “A Garden in Every School”
Initiative. Recognizing the educational and health benefits of school gardens,
the California Department of Education (CDE) launched the “Garden in Every
School” initiative in 1995, which continues today with support for the expansion
of school garden programs throughout the state. The Nutrition Services Division
leads the “Garden in Every School” program and collaborates with individuals
and organizations that support school gardens, including public and private
agricultural agencies, waste management agencies, health agencies, and others.
34

The CDE provides technical assistance and educational
resources to public schools interested in using school gardens
as outdoor classrooms for nutrition and core subject area
education. It published the Health Framework for California
Public Schools and developed a set of nutrition competencies
to guide curriculum implementation for students in
prekindergarten through grade 12 to promote effective,
sequential, and comprehensive nutrition education. For more
information about the “Garden in Every School” program,
contact the Nutrition Services Division, California Department
of Education, at 800-952-5609 or 916-445-0850.
California Healthy Kids Resource Center.
Sponsored by the California Department of Education and
Department of Public Health, the California Healthy Kids
Resource Center maintains a comprehensive collection of
high-quality health education materials for use by teachers,
administrators, university faculty, LEA (local education agency)
staff, and other professionals who work with preschool
through 12th grade students in school settings and after-school
programs. The materials include curricula, videotapes, teacher
reference materials, and research materials, along with models
and other displays. The materials are free to use; schools are responsible only for
return shipping charges. For more information and a listing of materials available,
visit the center’s Web site at www.hkresources.org/.
Farm to School Program. The concept of linking schools with local
farmers to provide fresher, tastier, healthier school meals is known as “Farm to
School” and is considered part of a healthy school environment. The objectives
of the program are to serve fresh and healthy meals in school cafeterias, improve
student nutrition, provide health and nutrition education opportunities, teach
agricultural literacy, and support local small farmers. Schools buy and feature
farm-fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables, eggs, honey, meat, and beans
on their menus; incorporate nutrition-based curriculum in the classroom; and
provide students experiential learning opportunities through farm visits, gardening
activities, and recycling programs. Farmers gain access to a new market through
schools and are able to connect to their community through programs designed
to educate kids about local food and sustainable agriculture. When fresh, farm-direct,
seasonal food is included in school lunch programs, both children and
farmers benefit. Combining healthy school lunch choices with nutrition education,
farm visits, school gardens, and cooking projects in the classroom gives children a
better opportunity to develop healthy eating habits that last a lifetime. For more
information about California’s Farm to School program, visit www.cafarmtoschool.org/.
Fruits and Vegetables for Health. Fruits and Vegetables for Health is a free
curriculum guide available from the California Foundation for Agriculture in
the Classroom. The comprehensive unit teaches students about the production,
distribution, and nutritional value of California fresh produce. Geography,
English-language arts, mathematics, science, health, and nutrition concepts are
incorporated. It is aligned to the content standards for California public schools.
“
School health programs can help
children and adolescents attain full
educational potential and good
health by providing them with
the skills, social support, environmental reinforcement need to adopt long-term, ”
and
they
healthy
35
eating behaviors.
The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention
Debbie Delatour

To download, visit www.cfaitc.org/LessonPlans/LessonPlans.php.
Rethinking School Lunch. The Rethinking School Lunch (RSL) program
uses a systems approach to address the crisis in childhood obesity, provide
nutrition education, and teach ecology. It builds on the premise that hands-on
experience in growing and preparing food is a powerful way for children to
discover that healthy food tastes good, and to learn about life cycles, seasons,
other processes of nature, and the relationship between the health of natural and
social systems. The program includes an online 175-page guide, ongoing essay
series, “Thinking Outside the Lunchbox,” a downloadable Model Wellness Policy
Guide, and outreach efforts, including presentations to professional organizations
and NGOs, technical assistance, and workshops for educators. For more
information, visit www.ecoliteracy.org/programs/index.html.
The Network for a Healthy California (Network). This statewide
initiative is led by the California Department of Public Health represents a
movement of local, state and national partners collectively working toward
improving the health status of low-income Californians through increased fruit
and vegetable consumption and daily physical activity. Multiple venues are used
to facilitate behavior change in the homes, schools, worksites, and communities of
low-income Californians to create environments that support fruit and vegetable
consumption and physical activity.. For more information, visit the Network’s
Web site at www.ca5aday.com.
Two specific Network programs:
Children’s Power Play! Campaign (Power Play!)
Power Play! is a statewide campaign led by the
California Department of Public Health and
administered by the Public Health Institute.
Its purpose is to motivate and empower
California’s 9- to 11-year-old children to eat
3 to 5 cups of fruits and vegetables and get
at least 60 minutes of physical activity every
day. . Power Play! provides free nutrition and
physical activity educational materials, available
in English and Spanish, to fourth and fifth
grade teachers with students from low-income
families. Activities can be incorporated into
subjects across the curriculum and are linked to
the California content standards in mathematics
and English-language arts. To request materials
or for more information, contact your region’s
Power Play! lead agency. Contact information is
available at http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/cpns/
Pages/ChildrensPowerPlayCampaign.aspx
– Harvest of the Month. Harvest of the Month
features ready-to-go tools and resources that
can be used in diverse applications within the
school environment. It provides educators,
“ ”
36
More children need to
understand what they’re eating.
Children’s education is vital, and
knowing where a product comes
from is fundamental to life.
Margaret D’Arrigo-Martin
Executive Vice President
D’Arrigo Brothers, Salinas, CA
Judy Huffaker

Program Spotlight
Edible Schoolyard
Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, Berkeley, CA
The Edible Schoolyard
sprouted out of the shared
vision of community
members and school personnel.
They envisioned a garden
and kitchen classroom that
would transform the learning
environment and enrich the lives
of the students at Martin Luther
King, Jr. Middle School. The
first seed was planted in 1994
through a conversation between
chef Alice Waters and then King
Middle School Principal Neil
Smith, with additional seeds
sown and nurtured through
the planning and hard work of
hundreds of students, teachers,
staff, and volunteers. Over
time, an abandoned, asphalt-covered
lot became a thriving
classroom. Today, it not only
enriches the local community,
but also serves as a model for school
gardening programs around the world.
More than 900 students participate
“ ”
in the Edible Schoolyard program each
year. The program uses food as a unifying
concept to introduce students to the larger
principles of ecology. Students learn how
to grow, harvest, and prepare nutritious
seasonal produce through direct experiences
in the garden and kitchen classroom. The
lessons and activities tie into required
curricula for each grade level. They are
designed to foster a better understanding
of how the natural world sustains us, and
promote the environmental and social well-being
of the school community.
When the hearts and minds
of our children are captured by a school
lunch curriculum and enriched with expe-rience
in the garden,
sustainability will become the lens
through which they see the world.
Program Coordinator Chelsea Chapman
notes that the program serves as a “big
school community builder” linking students
from diverse social, economic, and cultural
backgrounds together “through a shared
experience.” Garden Manager Kelsey
Siegel has also witnessed the magic of the
growing environment. “One of
my continuing observations is
that the garden provides a place
that helps level the educational
playing field. It helps to subvert
some of the disparities that
occur within the classroom or
even on the playground. By
working collectively with each
other, teachers, staff, and
volunteers, the students at MLK
feel safe in a natural space that
they have helped create and
care for.”
The impact of the Edible
Schoolyard extends beyond the
school’s boundaries. Chelsea
explains that one of the most
rewarding aspects of the
program is to “[watch the]
lessons from garden and kitchen
going home with the kids.” In
addition to recipes, a farm stand
Thomas Heinser
is set up after school, allowing students to
take extra produce home with them. The
students return to school with stories of
their cooking adventures and their family’s
reactions.
As former students return as volunteers,
the Edible Schoolyard is progressing toward
its larger goal of revolutionizing the way
individuals view food, agriculture, and their
environment. As founder Alice Waters
suggests, “When the hearts and minds of
our children are captured by a school lunch
curriculum and enriched with experience in
the garden, sustainability will become the
lens through which they see the world.”

prekindergarten through grade 12, with materials to give students hands-on
opportunities to explore, taste and learn about the importance of eating fruits
and vegetables and being active every day. Harvest of the Month also provides
the opportunity for collaboration among educators, child nutrition staff, school
administrators, students, parents, the local media and retail outlets — all of whom
are striving toward the goal of increasing knowledge of, access to and preference
for fruits and vegetables and physical activity. A training module guides and
supports users on how to effectively use all program materials and resources.
This module includes a short DVD providing a visual experience of Harvest of
the Month in action. Additional tools are included to expand on implementation
strategies, explore the kinds of content contained within the monthly educator
newsletters, and demonstrate how activities can be linked to several core
curricular areas. All materials can be downloaded free on the Harvest of the
Month website. Within this site, the Educators’ Corner provides teachers with
additional activities, lesson ideas, recipes, student assessments and a wealth of
resources to help implement a successful program. www.harvestofthemonth.com
United States Department of Agriculture MyPyramid. The United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has created many resources to help
educators introduce basic nutrition education into the classroom, including the
MyPyramid.gov tool. Visit www.mypyramid.gov/kids/index.html to download nutrition
education classroom activities to supplement activities in the garden.
Summary
Through garden programs, students learn skills they can use throughout their
lifetime to engage in physical activity and increase their consumption of fruits and
vegetables. Teaching students how to incorporate hobbies like gardening into their
lives will help fight food-related health problems through adoption of activities
supporting better nutritional choices. Use of the garden as a health education
tool will have an impact on students’ choices today and well into the future.
Check out the California School Garden Network Web site at www.csgn.org and the
Resources section of this book (page 93) for additional ideas for using the garden
to grow healthy kids.
1 Morris, J., K. Koumjian, M. Briggs, and S. Zidenberg-Cherr. Nutrition to Grow On: A garden-enhanced nutri-tion
education curriculum for upper-elementary school children. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
34(3):175-176.
2 Foerster, S., J. Gregson, D.L. Beall, M. Hudes, H. Magnuson, S. Livingston, M.A. Davis, A.B. Joy, and T.
Garbolino. 1998. The California Children’s 5 a Day Power Play! Campaign: Evaluation of a large-scale social market-ing
initiative. Family and Community Health 21(1):46-64.
3 Morris, J., A. Neustadter, and S. Zidenberg-Cherr. 2001. First-grade gardeners more likely to taste vegetables.
California Agriculture 55(1):43-46.
4 Morris, J., and S. Zidenberg-Cherr. 2002. Garden-enhanced nutrition curriculum improves fourth-grade school
children’s knowledge of nutrition and preferences for some vegetables. Journal of the American Dietetic Association
102(1):91-93.
5 Murphy, J.M. 2003. Findings from the Evaluation Study of the Edible Schoolyard. Center for Ecoliteracy,
Berkeley, CA, www.ecoliteracy.org/publications/pdf/ESYFindings-DrMurphy.pdf
“
I saw all the people hustling early in
the morning to go into the
factories and the stores and the
office buildings, to do their job, to
get their check. But ultimately it’s
not office buildings or jobs us our checks. It’s the soil. is what gives us the real ”
that give
The soil
income that
38
supports us all.
Ed Begley, Jr., Actor

Designing Your
School Garden
To prepare for the design phase of your school garden, put on your creativity
hat, adopt an adventurous attitude, and open your mind to all possibilities.
Gather ideas from other schools, botanic gardens, magazines, garden shows,
Web sites, and the imagination of your students and garden team. As you
plan, remember to look at the future garden through the eyes of a child.
Your students and garden team need to be active participants during this
phase. Throughout the process, they should feel like valuable contributors. A
strong connection during the design process will ensure they become diligent care-takers
once the garden is installed.
As you plan, there are two very important things to keep in mind:
Your school garden should be both fun and functional. Make
sure your design will result in a garden that will fulfill your needs and help you
accomplish your curricular goals.
Keep it simple. Dream big, but start with a plan that is manageable
for your school. Consider developing a three- or five-year plan, adding a few
components each year. Remember that it is the smiling children learning in the
garden that makes it beautiful, not the fancy and complicated planting design.
Gardens for Learning: Designing Your School Garden
39
Photos: Western Growers Foundation

How to Get Started
Begin designing by gathering ideas from
existing school gardens either by visiting local
schools or by browsing the Web (you can start
your search at the California School Garden
Network Web site at www.csgn.org). You may
also want to visit a local botanic garden or
arboretum. Although your group has different
spaces and resources available to it, you will
get a feel for characteristics that are appealing
by visiting these sites. Do you like gardens with
sitting areas? Do you like vegetable gardens?
What type of paths do you prefer?
Next, give your students and garden team
a chance to brainstorm. Asking them to draw
their idea of the perfect garden is a good place
to start. Give everyone a chance to share their drawings and make a list of all the
elements included. See if you find common trends. For instance, do a lot of the
gardens include birds or butterflies? If so, you might want to establish a garden
supporting wildlife. Are there many fruits and vegetables? Maybe you want to
focus on edible plantings. The class can choose the best – and most practical –
elements of each to incorporate into a final design. As you review these ideas,
remind everyone of your curricular goals. Are there any strong connections
between the dream ideas and the goals you have adopted?
Types of Gardens
Although no two gardens look exactly alike, there are some basic planting
techniques used for constructing indoor school gardens and some different
techniques used for those outdoors. Indoor garden options include windowsill
gardens and stands with grow lights. Outdoor options include in-ground beds,
raised beds, and container gardens.
Indoor Gardens
The simplest form of indoor gardening is to grow plants in front of windows
that receive a decent amount of sunlight. Windows that face south and west are
best, and they usually receive enough light to grow leaf and root vegetables (beets,
carrots, lettuce, onions, and radishes) and herbs. East-facing and north-facing
windows do not receive as much light, so they will limit planting options mostly
to houseplants. Spend a few days monitoring the light available through the
window to determine whether there is a sufficient level for an indoor garden.
Grow lights (fluorescent tube lights designed to hang low over growing
areas) are a more effective way to produce indoor crops. You can purchase
prefabricated models or make your own. With grow lights, you control the
amount of light your plants receive and can expand your crop options to include
fruit crops such as tomatoes and strawberries.
Debbie Delatour
“
Just by walking by and giving
a curious glance, children can
passively absorb the lessons of the
garden: a pea vine sending tendrils
up a pole, a new blossom about
to burst open, a seedling pushing
through the soil. Teachers walking
by can point to pollinators, give an
impromptu lesson in ecology, math,
weather, botany. A garden in full
view can become the heart of the
school campus, a place learning, transformation, a place to observe the ”
of wonder,
and
seasons
40
and cycles of life.
Marty Fujita
Food For Thought
Ojai Unified School District
Ojai, CA

Program Spotlight
A joint project of the
City of Riverside
and the Riverside
Unified School District,
the Eastside Community
Garden was developed as
a resource for Emerson
Elementary students
and local residents.
While many schools may
struggle to find space
for a garden, Emerson’s
garden was an already
defined 1-acre plot in
the back corner of the
school. Possibly even
more difficult than not
having enough space is
having too much.
In the initial stages of the garden
planning, students were invited to submit
artistic drawings for a garden theme
poster. They were asked to visualize what
the garden would look like and what
students could do there. Two students’
designs were chosen and their art was
included on a T-shirt produced for the
garden ground-breaking event.
Building on the students’ ideas and
working with a Master Gardener from
the Cooperative Extension program, the
Eastside Community Garden Committee
made several design drafts and presented
them to the community during the ground-breaking
ceremony. A high school drafting
student prepared a more formal design.
Although several modifications were made,
the time invested in the initial planning of
the site was extremely valuable. Soliciting
numerous ideas about the design of the
garden helped people to visualize possibili-ties.
The practical issues of the site grade,
irrigation, fencing, shade, accessibility, and
financial resources also played important
roles in selecting the initial design.
An important initial design element
was to determine which materials to use
in building the garden beds. Although sev-eral
materials were suggested, ultimately
the use of 8- by 8- by
16-inch cinder blocks
was chosen. Benefits
of using these blocks
included:
• Cinder blocks can
be used to construct
garden beds of a variety
of shapes and sizes.
• The garden design
can be changed and the
blocks can be reused.
• Minimal skill is
required to build a
garden bed out of
cinder block.
• The open cells in
the blocks can be used
to plant invasive plants
or flowers.
Whereas brainstorming many ideas
for the garden design created interest,
practicality triumphed when it came to
the actual construction. The committee
determined that building as many equal-sized
beds as possible would help get
more gardeners involved in the project.
The design made the addition of water
faucets and an automated watering system
easier to install after the raised beds were
constructed. During the course of one
year, approximately 17 garden beds were
built out of cinder blocks at the Eastside
Community Garden. The raised beds have
been extremely durable and did not shift
even during an extremely rainy winter. The
simple design allowed gardeners time to
focus on growing vegetables rather than
on building and maintaining garden beds.
Designing a Large School Garden
Emerson Elementary School, Riverside, CA
John McCombs
The raised beds have been extremely
durable and did not shift even during
an extremely rainy winter. The simple
design allowed gardeners time to focus
on growing vegetables rather than on
building and maintaining garden beds.
41

Outdoor Gardens
The traditional outdoor garden is planted in the ground of a schoolyard. During
the site analysis described below, you will evaluate your soil and determine whether
this is a good option for your class. Unless the area has been cultivated before, you
will often need to amend and till compacted soil before you begin planting.
Raised garden beds are another option commonly used by schools. Create a
raised bed by shoveling soil from surrounding pathways or bringing in new soil
or compost to create mounds that are 1 to 2 feet taller than the adjacent paths.
The top of the mound should be flattened to decrease soil erosion. Raised beds
look nice, support healthy plant growth, and keep people on paths. The loose soil
encourages roots to grow strong and deep, and the garden soaks in moisture easily.
In areas with cool, wet spring weather, soil in raised beds drains and warms more
quickly so you can get started earlier.
To create more permanent, defined raised beds, make 1- to 2-foot-tall frames
using materials like recycled plastic lumber, rot-resistant wood such as cedar or
redwood, stones, or concrete blocks and then fill the frames with soil. Although
rot-resistant pressure-treated wood is available for purchase, it should not be used
in the garden because of the toxic chemicals on the treated wood. Framed raised
beds can be built over soil or on top of concrete or asphalt surfaces. Although
making framed raised beds is more expensive than planting directly in the ground,
it does offer a number of benefits. Framed raised beds are more permanent and
define the garden bed area. You can choose your own soil, making them easier
to cultivate and eliminating worries about toxins such as lead. They usually have
fewer problems with weeds and drainage. They may help with pest control by
making it easier to scout for insects and install gopher wire barriers. Additionally,
raised beds can be built high enough for wheelchair accessibility.
A third outdoor option is to plant in containers. Examples of common
containers are clay and plastic pots, large wooden barrels, and buckets.
However, you can use anything that holds soil and has drainage holes.
You can even use an old bathtub. If you experience warm days but
cold nights, or if you have concerns about vandalism, you can create an
indoor/outdoor garden by growing plants in buckets with handles, or
pots with wheels, and moving them indoors at night.
Site Analysis
Once you decide what type of garden will best fit your needs and
resources, you need to find a place to put it. It is best to locate your
garden in a prominent area of the schoolyard to increase involvement
and decrease the likelihood of vandalism. To determine the usefulness
of a site, your garden team needs to complete a site analysis. A
site analysis involves investigating and evaluating the growing and
environmental conditions of potential garden areas. You may conduct
several analyses before you find a site that is just right.
At some schools, only one site will be available. However, if that is
the case, you should still perform the site analysis because it will help
42
“
Because the gardens are directly
outside the classrooms and on the
side of the recess area, it is clear
that the students visit the gardens
frequently on their own time.
Often when we go out to the
garden during class, we notice
lettuce that has been thinned
slightly, empty peapods on the
ground, or carrot tops in the
compost pile. One of the most
important aspects of the garden,
in our opinion, is this close
proximity to where the hang out and spend time day, a visual reminder of being done during gardening Leah Smith
Marin Food Systems Project ”
students
during the
the work
time.
Coordinator
Bayside Elementary
Sausalito, CA

you determine what you can plant. During the site
analysis, you need to investigate:
Size and Existing Features. The available
land at a site is important. Although you may start
small, it is a good idea to have room to expand as
your program grows. Ask your students to measure
the parameters of the proposed site and make note
of existing features like plant materials, pathways,
fencing, water sources, shaded areas, etc. Using grid
or graph paper and an appropriate scale, sketch a
garden layout.
Soil. A nutrient-rich soil with good texture
and plenty of organic matter will help your garden
thrive. On the flip side, poor soil will frustrate even
the most experienced gardener. Determine the texture
of your soil (amount of sand, silt, and clay) and test
for pH and nutrient content. Do-it-yourself soil kits
are available from most garden centers, or contact
your local Cooperative Extension Service office for information on soil testing labs.
You may also want to test for lead contamination. Find out as much as you
can about the history of the potential garden site. If the site is located in an urban
area, previously contained houses or other structures that were painted with lead
paint, was once used for dumping, was exposed to lead-based pesticide treatments,
or is close to a heavily traveled road, you should test for lead. Call your local
public health department office to find out where soil lead testing is available. The
presence of lead does not need to deter gardening efforts. If the schoolyard soil is
not suitable for gardening, you can garden in raised beds or containers.
Sunlight. Most flower, vegetable, and herb gardens need to be exposed to
full sunlight for at least six hours a day. Students can check the potential garden
site at different times during the day and year to see how much sun it receives.
Use a compass to identify which direction is north. Determine the path of the sun
throughout the day to anticipate shadows. In wintertime, remember to factor in
shade that will be cast by tree leaves in the warmer months. Use shade areas for
gathering places or to plant shade-tolerant crops such as lettuce.
Water Sources. Access to water is essential for gardening, and the closer the
water is to the garden, the better. If a water source is not conveniently located, the
job of watering can become time-consuming and limit garden growth. There are
various systems to consider: watering cans, garden hoses, drip irrigation, overhead
watering. Drip irrigation and water-conserving sprinkler systems are often the
most water- and time-efficient. Determine which water systems will be available to
you at the potential location.
Water Drainage. How water moves through the site is also important.
You don’t want to plant a garden in a consistently wet low spot unless you are
planting wetland or water plants. Visit the site after a rain. Does the water puddle
or does it drain away? Both slope and soil type affect drainage. In addition to low
spots, avoid steep slopes; if that’s not possible, consider terracing or raised beds.
43

Accessibility. It is important for your site to be easily accessible both
during class time and outside class. If your garden is a short walk from the
classroom, there will be more teacher involvement than if the site is a long trek
across the school grounds. A garden close to the classroom is more convenient,
more visible, and easier to incorporate into the curriculum on a regular basis.
The path to the garden should be level and handicapped accessible, a
minimum of 4 feet, and preferably 6 feet, wide (check with your school district
for specific accessibility regulations). Also, the garden should be accessible to
students when they are not in class so they explore and enjoy it on their own.
Finally, place the garden in a visible location so all students, teachers, parents,
and community members can enjoy its beauty, thus adding to their support and
enthusiasm for the garden.
Security and Safety. Do not choose a site near heavy road traffic or
close to other potential hazards. If possible, locate your garden within sight of
classrooms and neighbors so a close eye can be kept on it. You may want to use
fences to help with protection on weekends and during
extended breaks.
Future Uses. Check with your school principal
and administrators about long-term plans for your site.
Don’t invest large amounts of energy and money in a
site slated to become a new cafeteria or classroom wing.
After collecting all this information, decide whether
or not the site will work for your school garden. If you
have concerns, conduct additional site analyses to see
if there are better options. If there are no other options,
research plants that will grow in the existing conditions.
For instance, if the available area is poorly drained,
perhaps a habitat of water plants is the best selection.
Although this may lead to a garden that differs from the
original vision, it will still be a viable outdoor classroom
and will provide an important lesson for the students
about choosing sustainable and environmentally friendly
landscape plans.
Needs Inventory
Once you nail down a site, it is time to complete a needs inventory. Start
by comparing your brainstorming ideas with the curricular goals. What garden
components from the brainstorming list complement those goals?
To help you get started, here is a list of common school garden components:
Garden Beds. You can create garden beds in various shapes and sizes.
If you keep the growing areas no more than 4 feet wide, everyone involved
in the program should be able to reach all plants. Although it is common to
align rectangular beds evenly in rows, some school gardeners avoid doing so,
believing that it leaves little room for creative inspiration. Some try circular
gardens, sliced, pie-fashion, by pathways. Others are inspired by the natural
world. You might arrange your planting beds in other geometric designs around
“ The gardener does not create
the garden; the garden creates
the gardener.
Alan Chadwick
Organic Gardening Proponent
” and Founder of the
UCSC Alan Chadwick Garden
Santa Cruz, CA
44

Program Spotlight
It’s easy to tell when you
walk through a garden
that children helped make.
There are colorful, hand-painted
signs and flowers
planted in random designs.
Vegetables may be planted in
old wheelbarrows, watering
cans, or even shoes. Gardens
that children help design feel
child centered, alive, and
whimsical. When the Life Lab
Science Program began
planning the Life Lab
Garden Classroom, a
model school garden
in Santa Cruz, staff
worked hard to include
children’s visions in the
design process.
“We wanted a
place where children
could feel comfortable,
and interact with
the garden in many
ways,” said Life Lab’s
education director,
Erika Perloff. “So we
invited local elementary
school students to
participate in the design
process. We asked
them to imagine all
the components that
they might include
in a learning garden,
and to draw maps of their
ideal gardens. The result was
a fantastic collection of ideas
for us to draw from. Children
wanted the gardens to be
full of edible fruits, so we
made sure it would produce
fruits nearly year-round. They
wanted places to hide out, so we put in a
vine-covered crawl tunnel, a hidden bird
blind, and a weeping tree. They suggested
outdoor kitchens, spirals, music-making
areas, ponds, animals, and of course lots
of places to grow food. We put all these
ideas into the garden. Other suggestions
included an airstrip, hang gliders, and an
underground gopher-viewing chamber.
We’re still working on those.…”
Visit www.lifelab.org/classroom for
more information and a map of the Life
Lab Garden Classroom.
A Garden Designed for Children, by Children
Life Lab Garden Classroom, Santa Cruz, CA
John Fisher/Life Lab
“
We wanted a place where children
could feel comfortable, and interact with
the garden in many ways... We asked
them to imagine all the components
that they might include in a learning
garden, and to draw maps of their ideal
gardens. The result was a fantastic
collection of ideas...
”
45

a central meeting area, or scatter beds of different sizes
and shapes throughout the garden site.
Paths. Paths reduce the risk that plants will get
trampled, and they organize traffic flow. Make main
pathways 4 to 6 feet wide to accommodate wheelchairs
and wheelbarrows. Keep paths distinct and weed-free.
If steady foot traffic doesn’t do the trick, you can cover
paths with mulch, such as shredded bark or wood chips.
To help keep down weeds, lay down sheets of black-and-white
newspaper, cardboard, or landscape fabric before
mulching (cardboard is often the least expensive and most
effective choice). Alternatively, you can plant pathways
with grass and mow it, or, in permanent garden sites, you
can use asphalt, bricks, pebbles, or crushed stone.
Irrigation. Although watering by hand using watering
cans and/or hoses is an option, in most areas of California,
this job becomes cumbersome and can detract from the
garden experience. Drip irrigation and water-conserving
sprinkler systems installed before planting will save time and
often result in a healthier garden.
Gathering Places. In a shady part of the garden,
a picnic table, bench, or group of hay bales or logs
provides an ideal place for cleaning and sorting vegetables,
conducting outdoor lessons, doing arts and crafts, writing in journals, or just
getting relief from the sun.
Toolshed or Storage Area. A toolshed or storage area is a good central
location for cleaning, organizing, and protecting tools and equipment.
Compost Areas. If you designate a place for a compost pile, students can
convert garden and lunchroom waste into a rich, soil-building ingredient and
witness the wonders of decomposition. You can create simple freestanding piles
or make an enclosure from chicken wire, wooden pallets, concrete blocks, or
lumber. Even an old garbage can with holes punched in it will suffice. Make sure
the structure has openings for air circulation.
Weather Station. Consider cultivating keen weather watchers by
incorporating a weather station into your garden. Students can monitor a variety
of conditions and determine how different factors affect garden life.
These are just a few component ideas. As you continue the design process,
you may add to your needs inventory.
Putting Design on Paper
With the completed site analysis
and needs inventory in hand,
take a copy of the garden
layout developed in the site
analysis and work with the
garden team and students
46
Monrovia

to create a landscape design. Landscape designers begin
this process by drawing bubble diagrams. In a bubble
diagram, you define uses for spaces rather than laying
out detailed plans. Lay a piece of tracing paper over the
map or copy it onto an overhead and use additional
overheads for sketching. Draw a bubble representing each
component of the garden (beds, sitting area, pathways,
etc.). Bubbles can be drawn quickly and in different
colors. The idea is to experiment by putting the bubbles
in different configurations (e.g., placing the sitting area in
the middle of the garden versus placing it on the side),
shapes (e.g., circular beds versus rectangular beds), and
sizes (e.g., a few large garden beds versus multiple small
beds) until you develop a general idea of where to place
the different components.
Once there is an idea of where to place things, create
a more detailed design. Begin by defining beds and
walkways. Be sure to draw the plan to scale so that you
are accurate in the use of space. Also create a plan for
irrigation. Although you will need to leave room to be
flexible, careful planning is important to help determine
supply and material needs.
The last step will be to select plants. You and your
class should choose plants that can grow successfully
in your region and that can be properly cared for and
harvested when the students are around. When possible,
incorporate drought-tolerant and native plantings; they
will ease maintenance and serve as a tool for teaching
sustainable landscape practices. Deciding where to place
the plants in your garden takes some consideration. Plants
have different space, light, and temperature requirements.
Use books and Web sites to research potential plants.
You may also want to seek advice from local garden
center employees, other school garden coordinators, plant
nursery workers, or your local Master Gardeners and
Cooperative Extension office.
Although the designs do not need to be complex,
if you have a large project, you may want to consider
finding a local landscape designer who is willing to
donate time. He or she can make sure you’ve considered
all available options and potential problem areas and
help you move the design forward. Try to find someone
who will engage students and the garden team in the
planning and design process.
Focusing the Design
There are such a wide variety of plants and activities
you can incorporate in your school garden that the
design process can sometimes feel overwhelming.
Your team may provide tons of great ideas and suggestions,
and, in trying to incorporate them all, you may end up with
a garden requiring extensive funding and maintenance.
One method to help focus the garden design process is to
decide on a central theme. Designing a garden around a
theme allows the team to create a meaningful space using
a slightly narrowed vision. Inspirations for themes can come
from topics within the curriculum, the interests of the
students, specific plant materials, or even a favorite book or
movie. Some examples of popular theme gardens:
• Alphabet garden
• Butterfly garden
• Children’s literature—
based gardens (e.g.,
Peter Rabbit garden)
• Cut flower garden
• Edible garden (note: any
garden on this list can
include edible plants)
— Herb garden
— Pizza garden
— Salad garden
— Salsa garden
— Soup garden
— Stir fry garden
• Historical garden (e.g.,
California Mission
garden, Victory garden)
• Native American garden
• Native plant garden
• Multicultural garden
• Peace garden
• Rainbow garden
• Sunflower garden
In addition to helping with the design process, a theme
may also provide you with creative press release ideas and
fundraising connections. Involve your students and garden
team to help choose your garden theme. Make sure the
theme creates excitement and enthusiastic support to
continue your school garden’s momentum.
47

Finding Supplies
and Funding Your
Garden
For those planning youth gardens, there is never a shortage of ideas for
programs and activities. But do you find the room quiets when the
topic switches to funding the project? The good news is that a gardening
program does not need to be huge to be successful – students can learn as
much from a 4- by 8-foot raised bed as from a half-acre plot. But even on
a small scale, your gardening program will need basic supplies like soil, tools, and
plants, of course. So where can you go to find these materials?
Finding the resources necessary to begin and maintain a youth garden is
always a challenge, but it does not need to be a roadblock. Think
of your funding search as an opportunity to provide additional
community members a chance to participate in an extraordinary and
powerful youth program. Search out people and organizations who
share your love for children and who can benefit from being a part of
your success.
Identify Supply and Material Needs
First and foremost, do not search for funds until you complete
the preliminary planning and design steps. Donors and funding
organizations want to invest in long-term ventures and will look
carefully at your support network and plans for implementation to
determine whether your program will last. Create a firm foundation
before you gather the supplies to build.
Once you have in place a garden team, a set of clear goals, and a
design, develop a list of resources needed to implement the program.
Although miscellaneous needs will arise, you should be able to develop
a detailed list of the supplies and materials you will need to make your
garden a reality. Make sure to estimate your needs as accurately as
possible. Remember to include expenses for the site development and
improvement, operation, curriculum, and miscellaneous items. Why is
this list so important? You don’t want to be missing important supplies
that delay garden implementation, nor do you want to end up with
supplies you cannot use. A vague request for supplies for a new school
garden could result in 10 garden hoses and one shovel, when what
you really need is 10 shovels and one hose. Having this list in hand as
Gardens for Learning: Finding Supplies and Funding Your Garden
48
Left: Western Growers Foundation; top: Monrovia

you search for support will also demonstrate the
organized and professional nature of your garden
and give potential sponsors confidence in both
you and the program.
The needs of each garden will vary on the
basis of location (indoor versus outdoor), size,
number of students participating, and plantings.
Common items needed by school gardens follow.
Plants. It is not a garden without plants.
Plants may be started from seed, grown from
cuttings, or purchased as mature plants. Most
classrooms begin their gardens by planting seeds
because they are relatively inexpensive, and their
growth helps students to visualize the full life cycle
of a plant. It is also easy to find donations of seeds
from local garden centers or seed companies near
the end of the summer because many companies
want to get rid of excess stock then. Seed packages
are dated, and even though most garden centers
and seed companies will not sell seed with older dates, packets kept in a cool and
dry location will have high germination rates for many years.
Curriculum Books and Resources. There are a lot of solid resources
available to aid you in this process. A list of resources is included on pages 93
to 96. A detailed, prewritten curriculum is especially valuable if you are using
volunteers to aid in the teaching process. Also visit the California School Garden
Network Web site at www.csgn.org for online links.
Soil and/or Compost. Whether you are gardening in the ground or in
containers, you will need rich, high-quality soil and compost for your plants.
Many municipalities where green waste is collected give compost and mulch
to residents.
Irrigation Supplies. Plants need water. Irrigation supplies include watering
cans, hoses, and sprinklers. Experienced gardeners know that automatic irrigation
– for instance, drip irrigation systems or sprinklers – is an important asset for
school gardens. If you plan to water with watering cans, make sure they are small
enough for students to carry when full.
Child-Sized Garden Tools. It is important to use the right tools for the
job. Although you may want a few adult-sized tools for parents and volunteers,
smaller and more lightweight tools are safer for children to use. When selecting
tools, look for durable, well-made, properly sized products. Watch out for
donations of poorly maintained or unsafe garden tools. Examples of tools you
may need: hoes, rakes, digging forks, digging spades, shovels, hand trowels, hand
cultivators, buckets, and a wheelbarrow or garden cart.
Child-Sized Gloves. Soil is teeming with life, which is important for the
health of your plants. However, it may also include organisms or trash items that
are not beneficial for your students. Gloves help protect students from sharp rocks
or trash buried in the soil and prevent undesirable organisms from getting under
fingernails or into cuts.
49
Debbie Delatour

Fertilizer. Even with the most fertile soil, your plants will probably
need additional fertilizer for healthy growth. Let the soil test results from your
site analysis and the plants’ needs be your guide. Nutrients may be added
by applications of compost, organic fertilizers like fish emulsion, or synthetic
fertilizers like slow-release pellets. Always read and follow the warning labels on
fertilizer products and store in a secure location. All fertilizers should be handled
by adults or under close adult supervision.
Garden Stakes and Row Markers. Label your plants to keep track of
what, where, and when you plant. Although at the time of planting, you may
think you will remember this without writing it down, once you expand your
garden and begin different classroom experiments, it is easy to forget.
Mulch. Outdoor gardens benefit from the addition of 2 to 3 inches of mulch
added to the soil. The mulch helps to slow water loss from evaporation, moderate
soil temperatures, decrease soil erosion, and decrease the spread of soilborne
diseases. There are a number of different materials you can use as mulch, including
shredded wood, straw, plastic, and newspaper. Many tree service companies will
donate wood chip mulch to worthy projects such as school gardens.
Money. Sometimes there are items or services you will need funds for, such
as renting a tiller or paying a water bill. Also, you may run into miscellaneous
expenses that you did not originally anticipate. It helps to have a small amount of
cash available to your garden project to accommodate fees and surprise expenses.
Once you have a list of needs, where do you begin your search? First,
determine whether or not your school or school district has internal supply
funds to help with your program. Internal funding may be limited, but it never
hurts to try; after all, you are competing for funds with a smaller number
of people. Next, look for additional local resources within your community.
Businesses like to support local initiatives because it helps them strengthen their
ties to the community, closely track the progress of
their investment, and reap public relations benefits
from their generosity. For instance, a garden business
that donates plants hopes the students’ parents will
acknowledge the investment made in their children and
respond by shopping at that store. After looking locally,
expand your search to regional, state, and national
opportunities.
Most school gardens use three main approaches to
seek funds: donations, grants, and fundraising projects.
You will probably want to use a combination of these
strategies to secure the funds needed to begin and
maintain your garden program.
Donations
Seeking donations is a task that many people dread
because they often hear “no” numerous times before
getting a “yes.” Before you begin your quest, create
project folders for your school garden that you can take
“
At my son’s school, we identify the
number of bolts, 2-by-4s, etc. with
the price per unit that we need for
a project. We ask parents to donate
what they can. They love
it – they get a range of prices
to choose from and thus can
participate without breaking the
bank, and we get participation
”
50
and our project funded.
Deborah Tamannaie
Nutrition Services Division

Program Spotlight
One can drive through town and
Avenue of Scarecrows
“ Davis Joint Unified School District, Davis, CA ” Found in gardens and fields
for centuries, scarecrows
are installed to protect
the harvest by scaring away
creatures like birds that might
snack on ripening produce.
Creating a garden scarecrow
is a fun project for students. It
invites them to exercise their
artistic talents by creating
whimsical garden decorations. In
the process, students can learn
about historic garden practices,
the use of straw as a mulch,
and alternative pest-control
methods. Schools in the Davis
Joint Unified School District
(DJUSD) have added another
function to scarecrow creation – they use it as
a way to raise funds for gardening programs.
Through the DJUSD Avenue of Scare-crows
program, preschool to high school
classrooms construct scarecrows to sell during
a silent auction at the local Farmers Market
Fall Festival. The festival, held on the Saturday
before Halloween, attracts more than 2,000
community members. The event began in
October 2000, and it has grown in size and
scope each year. In 2005, the auctioning of
70 scarecrows resulted in $1300 being raised
for local school garden programs.
A local farmer provides straw for the
scarecrows, but each class makes its own
frame and collects clothes and other
decorative items for the scarecrow. Most
schools use a standard wooden T-frame
about 6 feet tall with a crossbar about 4
feet long. Some smaller scarecrows are also
produced appropriate for table decorations
and party favors. Participants are encouraged
to be creative in the constructions. Teachers
begin designing the scarecrows with
their students in early September using
brainstorming sessions and teamwork. They
note that discussing scarecrow design ideas is
a great bonding exercise for the class.
Dorothy Peterson, district garden
coordinator, promotes the event as an
excellent opportunity “to tie school gardens
into the whole community – farmers’
markets, businesses, agricultural groups,
churches, the chamber, and service
organizations. One can drive through town
and see our scarecrows in yards and on
porches. It’s a total community buy-in.”
In addition to the fundraising, the district
uses the festival to share information
about the Davis Educational Foundation’s
Farm to School program by highlighting
the concepts of seed to table through
educational displays placed alongside the
see our scarecrows in yards and on
porches. It’s a total community
buy-in.
scarecrows. “It is the major
event at which the Farm to
School group showcases
gardening for the entire
community.”
An important component of
the program is its connection
to classroom curriculum.
Teachers tie interdisciplinary
lessons into the planning
process and observe positive
results as “students work
and problem-solve in group
discussions about clothing,
theme-based characters, and
more.” Each classroom takes
a photo of its scarecrow and
collectively writes a story about
Dorothy Peterson
it. All the stories are printed and bound with
the help of a sponsor, then sold at a school
gardening event or as a fall fundraiser for $1
more each than the cost of printing. Older
students expand on the concept by writing
spin-off chapters and creating adventure
stories involving their class scarecrow.
Additionally, students research the history of
local and global customs, celebrations, and
folklore involving the harvest season.
The Avenue of Scarecrows program
demonstrates that fundraising programs
can be educational and fun while
generating important financial support.
After the auction, all leftover straw is used
to cover garden pathways, reducing winter
weed growth and decreasing the amount
of mud tracked into the school building.
This is a program that students, teachers,
parents, and community members look
forward to each year.
Gardens for Learning: Finding Supplies and Funding Your Garden 51

with you and leave with each potential donor. The folders will
show that your effort is well organized and that the program
has the full support of the school administration. The project
folder does not need to be flashy, but should include an
enthusiastic endorsement letter from the director, principal, or
coordinator; a one-page project description; a garden plan; a
list of people who support the project; a list of garden needs;
and personal appeals like quotes or drawings from students.
Here is a list of tips to make sure your donation search is
rewarding rather than frustrating:
• Begin with the parents of your youth. They are strongly
invested in your program and may be able to donate the
items you need or may have community connections that
can fulfill your needs. Reach parents in parent volunteer
meetings, school newsletters, and e-mail appeals.
• Identify potential donors by matching your needs with
their services and products. Meet with potential donors in
person, if possible.
• Know the tax status of your school or organization and
the name businesses should use when making out checks.
• Businesses receive requests for donations all the time, so
be professional and organized. Ask only for appropriate
amounts of cash and specific materials.
• Remember that businesses need to sell their products and
make a profit to survive. Be ready to tell them why they
should invest in your school garden project and how you
will recognize them if they do support it.
• Money may be the first gift that comes to mind, but other
donations can be just as valuable. These may include
plants and seeds, lumber, soil, amendments, fencing, tools,
release time for employees who wish to participate, and
in-kind gifts like use of equipment.
• Acknowledge all donations, large and small, in the form of notes, posters,
banners, and so on. Include students in the acknowledgment process.
• If you do not like to ask for donations, find someone on your garden team
who is more comfortable doing so. Donors pick up on hesitation and are
more likely to say “no” to a person who lacks enthusiasm and confidence.
When people say “no,” accept it gracefully and thank them for their time.
Who knows? They may change their mind or you may need to approach them
about other opportunities in the future.
Grants
A number of grants are available that provide money and materials to help
fund youth gardens. A great place to start searching for them is on the California
School Garden Network Web site, www.csgn.org.
52

Grants generally require
completion of an application,
and may or may not result in
funds being awarded. Grants
come from a number of sources,
including public funds (local,
state, and federal government)
and private funds from foundations
(general, community, corporate, family),
corporations, and other resources.
Here are a few tips for finding and applying for grants:
• Find grants with requirements that match your needs.
• Do your homework. Research the programs supported in the past and the
current priorities of the organization.
• Submit a professional application, making sure to follow all instructions,
answer questions thoroughly, keep text concise and meaningful, and provide
as much detail as possible, including plans for sustainability.
• Ask someone to proofread your application before you submit it.
• Make sure the application is easy to understand. If you handed it to a
stranger, would he or she be able to translate your goals and purpose?
• Submit the application before the deadline.
Fundraising
If you’ve already got a school garden, using garden projects to raise money
not only provides funds for future expansion or special projects, but also provides
students with business experience. Fundraising projects can be used to prepare
students for a career in horticulture, engage students in authentic problem-solving
challenges, involve students in educating
the public, help students develop positive job-related
or social skills, teach economics and
math, help revitalize a community, and build
school/community partnerships. Here are a few
fundraising ideas:
• Plant and sell vegetable, herb, or flower
seedlings.
• Create and sell craft projects from the
garden, such as potpourri, pressed flower
stationery, or dried flower arrangements.
• Sell cut flowers or blooming potted plants
for special occasions.
• Save and package seeds to sell.
• Make an edible product like salsa or jelly.
• Host a silent auction or raffle. Combine with
a dinner or special event like a garden tour.
53

• Hold a spring garden sale with plants started by students or donated by
local gardeners and nurseries.
Before organizing a fundraising event, seek approval from school administrators.
Also, check with governmental offices to see if you will need a special license (such
as a nursery license or food handlers’ license). Finally, before the event takes place,
establish financially sound procedures for handling and depositing money.
Follow-Up Activities
It is extremely important to follow up with your
donors not only to show appreciation, but also to
update them on your progress. If you create a sense
of involvement in the program, they will want to
contribute again in the future.
Many grants require submission of an annual
report. Make sure you know and complete all the
requirements. Regardless of the requirements, however,
when you receive a donation or grant (no matter how
small) make sure that you send a thank you note
written either by you or by one of the students involved
in the program. Some additional ideas for follow-up:
• Post a sign or plaque in your garden recognizing
all contributors.
• Plan a formal dedication ceremony for new
gardens to recognize contributors and involve the
community.
• Create a Web site so donors can track progress.
Include an acknowledgment of their contribution
on your site.
• Send a regular print or e-mail newsletter.
• Send a card with an update on progress, such as a
“First Day of Spring” card.
• Host a garden party and invite all funders and sponsors to participate.
• Recognize contributions in a school newsletter or newspaper article.
• Create small gifts from the garden to give, such as a basket of fresh vegetables
or potpourri from dried flowers.
These tips should help as you search for support for your school garden
program. Also remember your “C’s” – be creative, clear, concise, concrete,
consistent, complete, cohesive, compelling, confident, convincing, and competent.
Finding supplies and securing funding are activities you will engage in not
only at the beginning of your school gardening pursuits, but also continuously
to help sustain your garden (see Chapter 9, Sustaining Your Garden, for more
information). A positive attitude will serve you well in your pursuit.
Dorothy Peterson
54

Planting Your
School Garden
A fter planning and preparation, the excitement builds to the day when
everyone can really “dig in” and get their hands dirty. Watching the
garden design magically come to life sparks curiosity and amazement in
both youth and adult participants. Although planting involves a lot of
hard work, gardeners are usually too captivated by the activity to notice.
This chapter offers some planting basics and tips for garden installation. It
is important to remember that your focus is on creating an educational tool,
and planting is just part of the learning process. Planting Day should be the
beginning of a wonderful exploration. Base planting decisions on researched
methods, but leave room for students to experiment. Some of your team’s design
ideas may thrive and others may fail; just keep trying until you are successful. If
you approach the garden with a positive and adventurous attitude, the students,
parents, and other garden team members will follow.
“ When I get into the garden, I
feel like I am in another ”
world.
I feel special because [the
garden] has a part of me.
I planted something.
Student
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Academy
Salinas, CA
Debbie Delatour
Gardens for Learning: Planting Your School Garden 55

Preparing the Soil and Beds
Your team’s first step will be to prepare the soil and beds. This
procedure will vary greatly in time and intensity depending on the size
of the project and the location and type of the garden.
Indoor Garden
If your class is creating a windowsill garden, the main preparation
for installation will be to find a way to protect the windowsill or table
from water damage. Place pots in individual plant saucers or in a large
plastic tray to catch drainage.
If installing grow lights, follow the directions included with the
materials or research an approved design. Be sure to follow all safety
precautions and, if possible, ask your school district’s electrician to
review construction.
For indoor gardens, your team will need to obtain a supply of
containers and soil. A wide range of pots can be used. Just make sure
they have drainage holes at the bottom to avoid waterlogged plant roots.
Plastic pots are the most common containers because they generally are
inexpensive, can be reused, and are lightweight. You could also use clay
pots, fiber pots, school milk cartons, growers’ flats or market packs, egg
cartons, plastic planting bags, and plastic soda bottle bottoms. Students
may be able to bring many of these items from home.
The growing medium in which you raise your plants is important.
It anchors the roots so the plants don’t fall over and serves as a
reservoir for the water, air, and nutrients taken up by the roots. The best medium
to use is soilless potting mix, made from peat moss (or coco peat), vermiculite,
and/or perlite (it does not contain any true soil). Soilless potting mix is light
enough to allow for good water drainage, root aeration, and root movement, yet
heavy and spongy enough to provide anchorage and to hold on to adequate
water and nutrients. Additionally, it is easy to transport and readily available in
most garden stores. Another good feature of such potting mixes is that most are
sterilized so that they do not contain weed seeds, insects, or diseases that could
flourish in the favorable conditions of an indoor garden. And soilless mix doesn’t
produce mud, so if it gets on clothing, it brushes off easily.
Outdoor Garden
Container Gardens. For smaller planting projects, preparing container
gardens is much easier than in-ground or raised beds. First, obtain appropriate
containers. Your class can use just about any container that will hold soil and has
holes for drainage. Examples of common containers: clay and plastic pots, wooden
barrels, window box planters, and plastic or metal buckets. Your team can also
be creative and use items like bathtubs, wheelbarrows, shoes, and hollowed-out
pumpkins or gourds. Smaller containers will need more frequent watering and
fertilization than larger containers. Just make sure, if you are planting fruits and
vegetables, that the containers were never used to hold toxic materials.
Jonnalee Henderson
56 Gardens for Learning: Plant ing Your School Garden

Fill your chosen containers with a good potting soil mix. Although you can
use garden soil, it tends to compact in containers, making it heavy and poorly
drained, so it is best to use potting soil designed for containers. Potting soil can be
obtained from garden centers.
Most common garden plants will need 8 to 12 inches of soil at the most, so if
the chosen containers are deeper than that you may want to add a layer of rocks
(will add weight) or Styrofoam peanuts (make sure they are made from plastic,
not biodegradable materials) at the bottom. This layer can help with drainage in
addition to decreasing the amount of soil needed.
Raised Beds. As mentioned in Chapter 5, Designing Your School Garden,
there are two different ways to make raised beds. The simplest way to create a
raised bed is to measure and stake each planting area (use a string from stake
to stake to better delineate the garden bed), then loosen the existing soil with a
spading fork and add soil, compost, or both until the bed is 8 to 12 inches high.
The soil can be brought in from another location or taken from surrounding
areas. Rake the surface smooth to create a flat-topped bed, which increases water
retention and decreases soil erosion.
To create permanent, well-defined raised beds, create frames using rot-resistant
wood, such as cedar or redwood, or other materials, such as recycled plastic
boards, bricks, rocks, or cement blocks. When installing
framed raised beds, consider installing landscaping
fabric to suppress weeds from growing up in your bed
and/or gopher wire as a barrier. Avoid pressure-treated
lumber; it has been treated with toxic chemicals. Fill
beds with soil or a mixture of soil and compost.
Raised beds have numerous benefits. They look
neat, support healthy plant growth, and help keep
young students on paths. The loose soil encourages
roots to grow strong and deep, and moisture soaks in
easily. In areas with cool, wet spring weather, soil in
raised beds drains and warms more quickly, allowing
gardens to be started earlier. Conversely, in arid areas,
raised beds soak up available moisture well, but they
also dry out more quickly. Beds that are constructed
slightly below the soil surface conserve moisture more
effectively than do raised beds.
In-Ground Beds. If your team is installing an
inground garden, begin by tilling the ground to loosen
the soil and help in removal of weeds. Tilling is a
process of turning the soil to improve its structure. It is
also called cultivation. You can till the soil by hand using
shovels or digging forks, or mechanically using a tiller.
Soil is composed of sand, silt, and clay particles and has pore space reserved
for water and air. An ideal garden soil is made up of 50 percent soil particles and
50 percent pore space (half filled with water and half filled with air). How the
soil particles and pore space are configured is called the soil structure. Over time,
as we walk on the soil, and through other environmental forces, the soil becomes
“ ” Give back to the garden
University of California Department of
Agriculture and Resources
57
more than you take and
you will be rewarded with
glorious abundance.
Alan Chadwick

compacted and the structure loses important pore space.
By tilling the soil, we decrease compaction and increase
the pore space. This improves the soil structure and
makes it easier for you to plant and for plants to establish
their roots.
Avoid tilling excessively wet or dry soil. If the soil is
too dry or too wet, tilling can actually damage the soil
structure rather than improve it. To test soil moisture,
scoop up a handful of soil and try to create a ball. With
perfect moisture, the soil will form a stable ball but will
crumble easily when touched. If it is too dry, it will not
stick together. If it is so tightly stuck together that it will
not come apart when touched, it is probably too wet.
Tilling dry soil is backbreaking work that results in a
dusty mess and drifting soil particles. If the soil is dry,
water the garden thoroughly one to three days before
tilling. Wet soil, on the other hand, will stick to shoes and
tools. Tilling in this condition will destroy air pore space;
the weight of the wet particles will cause them to collapse
into each other when turned. If the soil is too wet, give it
time to dry out before tilling. If your area is experiencing
heavy rainfalls, your class may need to cover the soil with
plastic to decrease water exposure.
If the garden is fairly small, the soil can be tilled by
hand with a shovel. This is a great activity for students
with excessive energy. Try to turn the soil to a depth of 1
to 2 feet if possible. One method used to ensure a thorough
tilling of soil by hand is called double digging. To do double
digging, begin by having students dig out a row of soil in
the garden approximately 1 foot wide and 1 to 2 feet deep
and place the soil in a wheelbarrow. Next, dig out another
row of soil 1 foot wide and 1 to 2 feet deep, and move
this soil into the first empty row. Have students continue
to move across the bed until they reach the end and then
dump the wheelbarrow full of soil from the very first row
into the last empty row. Although double digging is a lot of
work initially, it ensures a thorough job of turning the soil
and a bed that is easy to work in.
Your class can also till the soil mechanically using a tiller. Tillers are like
small plows that work to loosen and turn the soil with blades powered by gas
or electric engines. They come in a wide range of sizes and can often be rented
from local landscape centers. If your site is larger than an acre, consider using a
farm-sized tractor with plowing attachments to break up the soil.
The difference between using a shovel and using a tiller is like the difference
between using a spoon and using an electric mixer when you’re mixing cake
batter. Both will get the job done, but they vary in the time and energy needed
for completion.
Cathy Reinhart/UCSC CASFS
58
STEPS FOR DOUBLE DIGGING

If you are concerned about the composition or nutrient content of the soil,
add a layer of compost when tilling. Compost is made up of decaying organic
matter. The organic matter increases the moisture retention of the soil, and as it
breaks down, it releases important nutrients. Also, as it decomposes, it provides
additional pore space, improving the soil structure. First, till the garden once to
break up the compacted soil. Next, add a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost to the
surface and then till the garden again to incorporate it into the soil.
Tilling should be done several weeks before the planting season and again
right before Planting Day if possible. Add any soil amendments such as compost
or topsoil during your first till. Remove weed and grass plants during tilling. Grass
and weeds will compete with garden plants for water, nutrients, and space. After
tilling, rake the garden soil smooth, being careful to avoid walking through the
beds so as not to compact the soil.
Although the landscape plan provides a general idea of the shape of the beds
before tilling, after preparing the soil, you should stake out the beds. If planning
straight rows, position stakes in the corners of the future beds and connect them
with a length of string. For beds with a curved outline, lay a garden hose or
length of rope on the ground as a guide. Remember to keep beds narrow enough
so that kids can reach the middle of the bed without stepping in it.
After outlining the beds, install the irrigation system, if any. The next step will
be to add the plants.
Obtaining Plants
Plants may be started from seed, grown from cuttings, or purchased as mature
plants. Most classrooms begin their gardens by planting seeds because they are
relatively inexpensive and their growth helps students to visualize the full life
cycle of a plant.
Sowing Seeds
Seeds may be planted outdoors
directly into the garden or started inside
on a windowsill and later transplanted to
an outdoor garden (or remain as indoor
plants). At the end of this chapter are fall
and spring planting guides with information
about common vegetables, fruits, herbs, and
flowers planted from seed in school gardens.
Planting Seeds Outdoors
In moist, but not wet, soil, have students
make holes or shallow trenches, place seeds
in these holes, and then cover them with
soil. In most cases, they will find proper
seed spacing and depth information on
59
Debbie Delatour Alicia Dickerson/Life Lab

the back of the seed packets. If this information is not available on
the packet, check planting guides for more details. It is important
to avoid planting seeds too close together. Crowded seeds compete
for resources as they grow. Place a label with the date and crop or
variety name where it can easily be seen.
After planting, ask responsible students or adult volunteers to
water the seeds with a gentle spray. If the water spray is too forceful,
the seeds will move from their original planting spot, and seedlings
will emerge in clumps. Make sure the initial watering is thorough
enough to moisten the soil to the depth of the planted seed. They
may have to provide a succession of gentle sprays to moisten the soil
appropriately, allowing the water to soak into the soil before applying
another gentle spray. Flooding newly planted areas can cause the soil
to slick or form a “crust” that will inhibit germination. Overwatering
causes a shiny soil surface; this is a sign to stop and let the water
soak in before applying more. After planting, it is important to keep
the soil constantly moist so the seeds will germinate. However, too
much water will encourage disease and decrease germination rates.
Planting Seeds Inside to Transplant Outdoors
Starting seeds indoors extends the growing season, allows greater variety in
plant choice, simplifies care of newly germinated seeds, and produces a lot of
plants for less money. In most growing regions in California, it is a good idea
to start vegetable seeds indoors to get a jump on spring planting so your class
will have more mature plants to harvest by the end of the school year. Some
vegetables, such as beans, carrots, and squash, prefer to be sown directly in the
garden. Others, such as basil and lettuce, can be started indoors or direct seeded.
Refer to the planting guides at the back of this chapter or read the information on
seed packets for more information on growing time.
When to Plant. The best time to start seedlings depends on the crop
and the climate. Generally, seeds should be started three to eight weeks before
the typical last frost date for your area, or so that plants mature before excessive
heat arrives.
Containers. Any container at least 3 inches deep will work for seed
starting. Students can collect plastic yogurt containers, milk cartons, and plastic
milk jugs and poke holes in the bottom for drainage. Commercial peat and plastic
containers come in standard sizes, and some are reusable.
Potting Mix. Use a soilless seed-starting mix, available at any garden
center. These contain a blend of finely ground materials that provide adequate
moisture retention and aeration. Many also include a small amount of fertilizer to
help seedlings get off to a good start.
Temperature and Light. Indoors, most seeds germinate best at soil
temperatures between 70 and 75 degrees and air temperatures between 65 and
70 degrees. Once they’re up, seedlings need lots of light, or they’ll grow tall and
weak. Relying on sunlight may limit seed options; grow lights and fluorescent
lights provide more control over light availability. If you use grow lights, keep the
“ ” The nation that destroys its soils,
60
destroys itself.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Program Spotlight
“ Transforming Schoolyard Soil
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Academy, Salinas, CA ”
In 2003, when Alisal Union
School District’s 5 a Day
nutrition education program
initiated a school garden
laboratory at the Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. Academy
(MLK), it faced numerous
planting challenges. The
quarter-acre location had
previously been the site of
a drive-in theater and flea
market, and it had severely
compacted and heavy clay
soil. The group’s original plan
was to bring in a small tractor
to till the soil during a ground-breaking
ceremony, but after evaluation,
they found the soil was too dry and hard for
cultivating. So in order to begin gardening,
they constructed 18 hexagonal raised beds,
each 2 feet deep and 6 feet in diameter.
Although a hexagonal bed is somewhat
complicated to build, the design allows
students to work together in a more
circular fashion, facilitating interaction and
cooperative work. Garden Coordinator
Debbie Delatour notes that the beds “have
been extremely successful at our site.” They
are divided into six triangular sections, and
students work in pairs to design and install
their own “plant part” garden. Students
must plant crops with edible roots, leaves,
stems, and flowers. Peas are planted in the
center to represent fruit/seed crops.
While gardening in the raised beds,
students worked on improving the rest
of the soil to increase the amount of
available growing space. They added
gypsum throughout the garden to begin
the longterm process of softening the
soil. Debbie also coordinated a number of
parent workshops during which parents
used pickaxes and shovels to remove
heavy soil from the perimeter area and
inner fence line; it was replaced with a
compost/topsoil mix. These areas were
used to plant borders of annuals and
perennials, climbing peas, sunflowers,
tomatoes, and a strawberry patch.
The soil was not the only challenge.
An adjoining grassy area sloped into the
garden, creating serious flooding and
drainage problems. After some trial and
error, the group found the best solution was
to plant on mounded soil and bring in loads
of wood chips for mulch and walkways.
Debbie says that during the first year,
“I think wood chips solved almost all of
our problems! The fourth graders really
enjoyed moving wheelbarrows full of wood
chips and soil. They worked together very
well with a purpose and great enthusiasm,
The garden is an oasis ... in the midst of
a gang-torn neighborhood, where [these
kids] can experience the beautyand
bounty of nature and the joy of working
together to make a difference.
and they felt like they had
accomplished something.
Wood chip moving brought
out the best in them.”
All of the sweat and time
spent on bed preparation
has paid off. “Now that
we are in the third year
of our garden, we rarely
feel challenged by our
soil,” Debbie adds. “The
layers of wood chips have
decomposed over the years
and seem to have lots of
worms. When we need
to reclaim more land for
Thomas Heinser
planting, we move aside the wood chips
and add compost to what is now more
workable soil.” Watching and participating
in the soil transformation process provided
valuable lessons on decomposition and
increased students’ understanding of the
importance of good soil in agriculture,
fitting into the program’s focus on science
and nutrition. In addition to academic and
horticultural success, Debbie explains, “the
most touching element of this project is
the children’s love for the garden and their
ongoing enthusiasm for taking care of
it. During their lunch recess they literally
arrive in droves (at times I have counted
60 kids) to water, cultivate, weed, and
move wood chips and compost. The
garden is an oasis for them in the midst
of a gang-torn neighborhood, where they
can experience the beauty and bounty of
nature and the joy of working together to
make a difference.”
Gardens for Learning: Planting Your School Garden 61

tops of the seedlings within a few inches of the bulbs and leave the lights on for 12
to 16 hours a day. Check seedlings daily and raise the lights as they grow taller.
Water and Fertilizer. Until seeds germinate, keep the soil moist by
spraying it with a pump sprayer or mister. Cover the pots with clear plastic to
preserve moisture. Once the first seedlings germinate, remove the plastic and place
the container under lights. Consistent moisture is very important, but be careful
that soil doesn’t get too wet, because excess moisture can cause rot.
Begin fertilizing the seedlings when they have their second set of true leaves.
(The first leaves that emerge upon germination are seed leaves, also called
cotyledons; they do not have veins as the true leaves do.) Use a mild fertilizer
diluted for seedlings as directed on the product label. Some seed-starting mixes
contain fertilizer, but your seedlings may use it up before the class is ready to
transplant them. Always follow the warnings on fertilizer products and store them
in a secure location.
Transplanting. A week before transplanting seedlings
into the garden, begin to acclimate them to the outdoors (a
process known as hardening off). Have students place containers
outside each day that week, gradually increasing the number of
hours they spend outside. Start by placing them in a partly shady
spot sheltered from the wind; each day, expose them to more sun
and wind. By the end of the hardening-off period, they should be
able to withstand full sun and stay outdoors overnight.
When it’s time to transplant, water the seedlings well
beforehand. Have students dig a hole for each transplant, spaced
as noted on the seed packet. As they plant, your class may want
to incorporate compost or fertilizer beside the plant to add to
soil fertility (if using liquid fertilizer, read the label carefully;
seedlings require a weaker solution than established plants).
Instruct students to firm the soil around the root ball, water
it well, and mark the bed. To reduce transplant shock, avoid
transplanting in midday heat.
Planting Seeds Inside for Indoor Gardens
Use the directions above to start seeds for indoor gardens. However, instead
of transplanting them outside, replant them in larger pots as they grow. Many
plants can be grown from seed in indoor gardens. Low-light plants for windowsill
gardens include vegetable plants with leaf or root crops, such as beets, carrots,
collards, lettuce, mustard greens, parsley, radishes, Swiss chard, and turnips. With
grow lights, your class can also raise beans, cucumbers, eggplants, peanuts, peas,
peppers, and tomatoes. Some flowering plants you might want to try indoors:
ageratums, alyssum, coleus, impatiens, marigolds, morning glories, nasturtiums,
petunias, snapdragons, and zinnias. Many herbs can also be started from seed
indoors. These include basil, catnip, coriander, chives, dill, marjoram, spearmint,
oregano, sage, summer savory, and thyme. Indoor plants are usually smaller than
outdoor plants and have lower production rates; however, they still provide
excellent learning opportunities for your students.
62

Garden Installation
Although you can add plants to your garden at any time, many schools
dedicate one day to a majority of the installation. This allows students to come
prepared and helps in coordinating volunteer recruitment efforts. Careful planning
is needed to ensure a successful Planting Day.
Prior to Planting Day:
• Ask your students to research the growing needs of the plants you are
planning to include in the garden. This will increase their involvement and
understanding of the planting process.
• Recruit members of the garden team and additional adult volunteers to help
on Planting Day. It is important to have extra hands and eyes to keep up
with all the activities. Talk to the volunteers about how important it is for
each child to be an active participant in the project.
• Publicize Planting Day to keep the community informed of your project.
Newspapers love to run community-interest stories, and installing the
garden provides wonderful photo opportunities.
• Make a list of all the tasks to be completed on Planting Day and be
prepared to divide them among multiple small groups of volunteers and
students.
• Take a “before” picture of the site for class archives.
On Planting Day:
• Encourage students to apply sunscreen and wear hats. Require everyone to
wear closed-toe shoes.
• Begin your day with safety instructions and ground rules. Teach students
how to use the tools, how to hold tools with sharp edges pointed down,
and that they must walk, not run, when carrying them. Remind students
“ ” The soil is the great connector
63
of our lives, the source
and destination of all.
Wendell Berry
The Unsettling of America, 1977

to keep tools below the waist when working in
the garden and to leave rakes, hoes, and shovels
pointed down and out of pathways when not in
use. Provide the right size of tools and gloves for
your students.
• Go over the design of the garden with the
students and volunteers to make sure everyone
knows how the garden is supposed to be
installed. Lay out the beds as a group to avoid
confusion, and have hard copies of the design
available. If the area is large, lay out the beds
prior to Planting Day to save time (make sure to
involve students; this is a great math activity).
• Demonstrate proper planting and watering
techniques and describe all the plants to be
installed in the garden. If you do not feel
comfortable with the demonstrations, recruit an
experienced gardener or a member of the garden
team to serve as a guest speaker.
• Divide the students into groups and have an
adult volunteer available to work with each small
group. Make sure the volunteers understand what
their group should work on. Installation should
be a hands-on experience for all students; working in small groups ensures
that everyone will have a chance to participate.
• Keep a first-aid kit in the garden and provide plenty of drinking water to
prevent students from getting dehydrated.
• Take lots of pictures to chronicle your work.
• Remember to HAVE FUN!
After Planting Day:
• Water plants with a gentle spray and check to see that the plants’ root
zones are moist.
• Make sure to clean all tools and store them in a safe location.
• Thank all students and volunteers for their hard work.
• Take “after” pictures of the newly planted garden.
• Share details from Planting Day with school administrators, sponsors, and
the community through letters, the school Web site, and newsletter and
newspaper articles. Thank them for their support. This follow-up will allow
supporters to see the result of their contributions.
• Incorporate the garden into the curriculum and continue with basic
maintenance activities.
“ ” The earth laughs in flowers.
64
Ralph Waldo Emerson

School Garden Planting Guide
Key to Planting Guide Headings
Crop. This guide provides detailed information about crops
commonly planted by seed in school gardens. We encourage you
to experiment with additional plants that grow well in your area.
Check with local gardeners, your Cooperative Extension Service
office, and garden center employees for suggestions.
Plant Seeds Indoors. Many seeds can be started indoors
and then transplanted to outdoor gardens. This column provides
you with the weeks to plant your seeds indoors relative to your first
or last frost date. Your Cooperative Extension Service office can tell
you the frost dates in your area.
Plant Seeds or Transplants Outdoors. Some seeds
can be planted indoors or outdoors. Other seeds will not transplant
well and should be sown directly into outdoor gardens. This
column provides you with the weeks to plant your seeds in outdoor
gardens and also the approximate time to plant seedlings started
indoors in outdoor gardens relative to your first or last frost date.
Your Cooperative Extension Service office can tell you the frost dates in your area.
Planting Depth. Generally, seeds should be planted at a depth that is two to three times their width. This
column lists specific planting depths in inches. Some of the crops listed either require light to germinate or are too
tiny to be buried under soil. A “0” appearing in this column indicates that the seeds should be planted on top of
the soil and pressed down lightly with a smooth surface, but not buried.
Spacing of Plants. Plants should be grown a certain distance apart to ensure they do not crowd each
other and inhibit healthy growth. This column gives the recommended spacing for mature plants in inches. Since
not all seeds will germinate, seeds should be planted closer than the distance needed by mature plants. Follow
the spacing recommended on the seed packet when
planting seeds outdoors. If more seeds germinate
than expected, you may need to thin the crop.
Days to Germination. This column tells
you approximately when seeds will sprout given
reasonable conditions. Temperature and moisture
can greatly affect this rate.
Days to Harvest. This column tells you
approximately when plants will be ready to
harvest. Temperature, water, and a number of other
environmental factors can affect this rate.
Good Source Of. This column gives
information on vitamins and minerals provided in
substantial amounts for fruit and vegetable plants.
65
Gardens for Learning: Plant ing Your School Garden Gardens for Learning: Plant ing Your School Garden

SPRING FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PLANTING GUIDE
Plant Seeds or
Plant Seeds indoors Transplants Outdoors Planting Spacing
(weeks before or (weeks before or Depth of Plants Days to Days to
Crop after last frost) after last frost) (inches) (inches) Germination Harvest Good Source of
Beans 1 week before 1–2 weeks after 1 6–8 4–10 60–80 Vit. C, fiber
Beets * 2–4 weeks before ½ 2–4 7–10 50–75 Greens high in Vit. A, C,
iron calcium
Broccoli 4–6 weeks before 2 weeks before ¼ 15–18 5–10 60–75 Vit. A, C, folate, calcium,
magnesium, fiber
Cabbage 4–6 weeks before 4 weeks before ¼ 18 4–10 60+ Vit. C, fiber
Carrots * 2–4 weeks before ¼ 2 10–17 60–80 Vit. A, fiber
Cauliflower 4–6 weeks before 2 weeks before ¼ 15–18 5–10 60–72 Vit. C, folate, potassium
Celery 8–10 weeks before 2–3 weeks before ¼ 6 7–12 75–100 Fiber
Corn 1 week before 1–2 weeks after 1 12–15 3–10 50–95 Thiamine, folate, potassium
Cucumbers 1–2 weeks before 1–2 weeks after 1 12–24 3–8 60–80 —
Garlic * 6 weeks before ½ 4–6 10–15 90–120 Vit. A, C, folate
Lettuce 4–5 weeks before 2–4 weeks before ¼ 10–12 4–10 45–60 Vit. A, K, calcium
through 3 weeks after
Onions * 3 weeks before ¼ 4 4–12 60–85 Vit. C
through 2 weeks after
Peas 4–6 weeks before 4–6 weeks before 1 4 6–15 55–75 Protein, Vit. B1
through 2–3 weeks after
Peppers 6–8 weeks before 1–3 weeks after ½ 10–12 8–20 70+ Vit. C
Potatoes * 4–6 weeks before 6 10–12 10–15 70+ Vit. C, B6, niacin, copper,
potassium, fiber
Pumpkins * After last chance of frost 1 36 7–10 90+ —
Radishes * 2–4 weeks before ¼ 1 3–10 25–40 —
Spinach 3–4 weeks before 1–3 weeks before ¼ 4–8 6–14 40–60 Vit. A, C, K, iron
Squash, * 1–4 weeks after 1 15–24 3–12 60–85 Vit. A, C, fiber
Summer
Squash, * 2 weeks after ½ – 1 24–36 4–10 80+ Vit. A, C, potassium, fiber
Winter
Tomatoes 6–8 weeks before 2–4 weeks after ¼–½ 18–24 6–14 65–85 Vit. A, C, potassium, fiber
Cantaloupe 2 weeks before 2 weeks after 1 24–36 7–14 60–90 Vit. A, C, thiamine, potassium
Strawberries 3–5 weeks before * 1/8 6–8 20 85+ Vit. C, fiber
(Alpine)
Watermelon 2 weeks before 2 weeks after ½ –¾ 24–36 5–10 70–90 Vit. A, B6, C, thiamine
*Not Recommended
G6a6rdens for Learning: Plant ing Your School Garden Gardens for Learning: Plant ing Your School Garden
Photos: 5 A Day

Gardens for Learning: Plant ing Your School Gar6de7n
SPRING HERB PLANTING GUIDE
Plant Seeds or
(weeks before or (weeks before or Depth of Plants Days to
Crop after last frost) after last frost) (inches) (inches) Germination
Basil 4–6 weeks before 1–2 weeks after 1/8 6–12 7–10
Catnip 6 weeks before 2–4 weeks before 1/8 12–18 5–14
Chives 6 weeks before After last chance of frost ¼ 8–12 5–14
Cilantro * After last chance of frost ½ 12–18 10–15
Dill * 1–2 weeks before ¼ 3–12 20–25
Oregano 6–8 weeks before 2–4 weeks before 1/8 8–12 8–14
Parsley 4–6 weeks before 1–2 weeks before ¼ 6 11–27
Sage 4 weeks before After last chance of frost ¼ 12 14–21
Spearmint 6 weeks before After last chance of frost 1/8 18 10–16
Thyme 8 weeks before 2 weeks after 1/8 6–12 20–30
*Not Recommended
Spring Flower Planting Guide
Plant Seeds or
(weeks before or (weeks before or Depth of Plants Days to Days to
Crop after last frost) after last frost) (inches) (inches) Germination Harvest Edible?
Bachelor’s 4–5 weeks before 1–2 weeks before 1/4 12–14 7–14 50–60 Yes, petals
Buttons
Borage * After last chance of frost ¼–½ 12 5–10 45–50 Yes
Calendula 6–8 weeks before After last chance of frost ¼–½ 10–12 5–15 40–50 Yes
Cosmos 4 weeks before After last chance of frost ¼ 8–24 5–7 90–100 No
Hollyhocks 6–8 weeks before Early summer 0 (press into soil) 24 10 120–150 Yes
Love-in-a-mist 4–6 weeks before 2–4 weeks before 1/8 6–12 10–15 60 Yes
Marigolds 8–10 weeks before 1–2 weeks after 1/8 10–12 5–10 70–80 Yes
Nasturtiums * After last chance of frost ½ 6–12 7–14 40–60 Yes
Sunflowers 3–4 weeks before 2 weeks before 1–2 12–24 7–14 80–120 Yes, seeds
Tithonia 6–8 weeks before After last chance of frost 0 (press into soil) 24 10–15 75–105 No
Zinnias 6 weeks before 1–2 weeks after 1/8 6–12 5–10 70 No
*Not Recommended

Fall Fruit and Vegetable Planting Guide
Plant Seeds indoors Planting Spacing
(weeks before Depth of Plants Days to Days to
Crop first frost) (inches) (inches) Germination Harvest* Good Source of
Beets 8-10 weeks before ½ 2-4 7-10 50-75+ Greens high in Vit. A, C,
iron calcium
Broccoli 13-14 weeks before ¼ 15-18 5-10 60+ Vit. A, C, folate, calcium,
magnesium, fiber
Cabbage 13-14 weeks before ¼ 18 4-10 60+ Vit. C, fiber
Carrots 13 weeks before ¼ 2 10-17 60+ Vit. A, fiber
Cauliflower 14 weeks before ¼ 15-18 5-10 60+ Vit. C, folate, potassium
Garlic Sept. – Nov. with mulch depth of clove 4-6 160-200 Vit. A, C, folate
Lettuce 6-8 weeks before ¼ 10-12 4-10 45-65 Vit. A, K, calcium
Onions Depends on variety ¼ 4 4-12 60-120 Vit. C
Peas 12 weeks before 1 4 6-15 55+ Protein, Vit. B1
Radishes 7 weeks before ¼ 1 3-10 25+ —
Spinach 6-8 weeks before ¼ 4-8 6-14 40-75 Vit. A, C, K, iron
Strawberries 5-8 weeks before 1/8 4 20 Next spring Vit. C, fiber
(Alpine)
*Maturity rates of overwintering vegetables vary depending on temperature and available sunlight.
G68ardens for Learning: Plant ing Your School Garden Gardens for Learning: Plant ing Your School Garden
5 a day
Planting Guides adapted from:
Jaffe, Roberta, and Gary Appel. 1990. The Growing Classroom.
Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
Pranis, Eve, and Jack Hale. 1988. GrowLab: A Complete Guide
to Gardening in the Classroom. South Burlington, VT. National
Gardening Association.
NC State and Herb Fact Sheets:
www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/herbs/
herbindex.html
NC State Annual Fact Sheets:
www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/annuals/
annual_index.html

Maintaining Your
School Garden
The excitement of Planting Day is hard to top, but it is the continual care and
observation of plant growth that strengthens students’ connection to the land
and broadens their understanding of the environment and food systems. Once
plants are in the ground, you will need to maintain the garden through regular
activities such as watering, thinning, weeding, fertilizing, mulching, composting,
and monitoring for pests. These activities promote healthy
plants by providing for their needs. The five basic needs of
plants are water, light, nutrients, air, and a place to grow.
Water. Plants use water for a number of important
processes, including photosynthesis (production of food)
and transpiration (evaporation of water from the leaves
into air that cools the plant and creates pressure to
move water from roots to leaves). Water also aids in the
absorption of some nutrients.
Light. Energy from light is captured to use during
photosynthesis.
Nutrients. Just as people need vitamins, plants need
special nutrients to help them grow properly and for their
biological processes to function. The top three essential
nutrients for plants are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Most plant nutrients are provided by the soil, and we
increase their availability through fertilization.
Air. Plants take in carbon dioxide and oxygen to use
during photosynthesis.
A Place to Grow. Plants need a place to call their
own with room to grow to maturity.
The need for each of these components varies by
plant. Research your school garden plants to learn how to
care for them properly. Plants also provide signals when
they have a need. For instance, a plant needing water will
wilt, and the leaves of a plant needing nitrogen will turn
yellow. It is important for your students to discover and
understand these signals.
This chapter provides background information on
some of the techniques your team will employ to maintain
the garden, along with an overview of seasonal garden
tasks. It concludes with tips for dealing with such common challenges as how to
maintain the garden during summer breaks and how to deal with vandalism.
Gardens for Learning: Maintaining Your School Garden
69

Watering
As a general rule, during active growth most plants require about 1 inch of
water (from rain or irrigation) per week. In hot, dry, and windy conditions they
need more. In cool and humid conditions they need less. Feeling the soil around
the plants is the best indicator of when it is time to water. The soil should be
moist, but not too wet. Poke your finger about 1 inch down in the soil. If the soil
feels dry, then it needs additional water.
Plants wilt when not enough water is getting to the leaves. However, do not
automatically assume that you need to water wilted plants, because they may also
wilt when there is ample or excessive water. Test the soil first. If the plants are
wilted but the soil is wet, it is still a sign that the leaves are not getting enough
water – but it is a root problem. If the plant is new or recently transplanted, it
may just need some time for the root system to become established. Sometimes
new roots cannot keep up with the water demands of the leaves. If the problem
continues, it could mean the roots have a fungal disease. In this case, remove the
plant and the soil around it to prevent possible disease spread.
When you or your students water, apply the spray to the base of the plant
and avoid excessive moisture on the leaves. The plants are absorbing water
through their roots, so the water needs to be in the soil. Additionally, water
on leaves can lead to a number of disease problems. Water plants in the early
morning to cut potential losses by evaporation. Apply water slowly to give it time
to sink into the soil. If water is applied too quickly or with too much force, it will
run off into drainage areas along with loose soil and new seeds. Children often
water until the soil looks moist on the surface, but that might not be enough
to benefit the plant. After watering, it is always a good idea to check the soil by
poking a finger into the soil around the plant’s roots.
A number of watering tools are available. Watering cans and garden hoses
are the least expensive alternatives. However, they take quite a bit of time and
close monitoring. Other alternatives are soaker hoses, drip irrigation, and sprinkler
systems. These require less time and can be linked to automatic timers, easing
the chore of watering during weekends and long breaks. These tools are more
expensive, however, so you may need to look for additional funds or donations.
Thinning
Many times more seeds are planted than can grow to maturity in the available
space. Once the seeds germinate, you and your students need to “thin” your crop
by removing some of the seedlings growing too close to each other. Although it is
never easy to remove plants, if you leave too many plants in a small space they
will compete for resources and will not be able to grow to their full potential.
When your students thin, instruct them to identify the healthiest seedlings
and remove the others. One technique is to pull out the less-healthy seedlings.
However, doing so risks disturbing the roots of the plants you want to keep. An
alternative is to cut the tops off the unwanted seedlings, after which the roots
will eventually decompose. Thinning can be a challenging activity for younger
children, and they may need close guidance.
70

You can place thinned plants in a compost pile or worm bin. Also, some
vegetable sprouts are edible and full of nutrients – perfect for a great nutrition
lesson and tasting activity.
Weeding
Weeds are plants growing in the wrong place. You should remove all such
plants because they will compete for space, light, and water with your intended
crops (and many times weeds will win, because they are well
adapted to your conditions). First, you and your students need to
learn how to identify the seedlings of your crops. After students
know what to keep, they will know what to remove. Pull weeds by
hand or remove them by hoeing or cultivating around the plants,
staying far enough away to prevent damaging the wanted plants or
their roots. With either approach, make sure the roots of the weed
are completely removed.
To ensure that weeding does not become an overwhelming job,
encourage students to monitor the garden continuously and remove
weeds when they are small. If weeds are allowed to grow for too
long, they will flower and spread seeds, which will escalate the weed
problem. One simple way to decrease weed problems is to apply a
layer of mulch to the soil.
Mulching
Outdoor gardens benefit from the addition of 2 to 3 inches of
mulch on top of the soil. The mulch helps to slow water loss from
evaporation, moderate soil temperatures, decrease soil erosion, and
decrease the spread of soilborne diseases. You can use a number of
different materials as mulch, including shredded wood, leaves, straw,
plastic, and newspaper. The various mulches offer different benefits.
For instance, organic mulches (shredded wood, leaves, or straw)
will eventually break down and help improve soil structure. Plastic
mulches will increase the soil temperature. Choose mulch according
to your plants’ needs, mulch availability, and visual preferences.
Fertilizing
For healthy growth, all plants require certain nutrients. The three they need
in the largest quantities are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).
Nitrogen is important for stem and leaf growth and for the photosynthesis
process. Phosphorus promotes root growth and improves flowering and fruiting.
Potassium contributes to root development, the overall growth of the plant, and
disease resistance. Other essential nutrients are equally important, but plants
require them in much smaller amounts.
Plants acquire most nutrients from the soil by absorbing them through their
roots. During the site analysis discussed in Chapter 5, Designing Your School
71

Garden, you completed a soil test that provided information on the nutrient con-tent.
It is common to find that your soil is low in nutrients, especially the “big
three.” Since nutrients aren’t always abundant enough in soil to support healthy
plant growth, gardeners make up the difference by adding fertilizer.
A number of different types of fertilizers are available. Some deliver nutrients to
your plant immediately; others release nutrients slowly over time. Examples of com-mon
fertilizers are liquid or solid synthetic fertilizers, slow-release pellets, compost,
fish emulsion, and dried manure. Any product sold as a fertilizer will have a nutrient
analysis on the label with three numbers. The numbers represent what percentage of
the three major nutrients – nitrogen (first number), phosphorus (second number), and
potassium (third number) – the fertilizer contains. The product label should also tell
you how much to use for different crops and areas. Check with school administrators
to see if there are any restrictions on the type of fertilizer your class may use in the
garden. Always follow the warnings on fertilizer products and store in a secure loca-tion.
Fertilizers should be handled by adults or under close adult supervision.
You might think that if a little bit of fertilizer will help your plant grow, a lot
of fertilizer will result in an even better harvest. However, the phrase “the more
the better” is not applicable to fertilization. Excessive fertilizer can contribute to
plant diseases and lead to runoff of the extra nutrients. So make sure to apply
only the amount you need.
Fertilizing is not a one-time event. As plants grow, they
deplete the soil’s available nutrients, so you will need to constantly
monitor nutrient levels and provide additional fertilizers when
needed. Keeping soil healthy is the key to maintaining healthy and
productive plants.
Composting
In the natural world, decomposers such as earthworms, sow
bugs, slugs, molds, mushrooms, and bacteria use dead plants and
animals as food, breaking them down into smaller particles and
thereby releasing nutrients back into the soil. In the garden, we
simulate this decomposition process by creating compost piles.
Compost piles are made up of garden waste and other organic
matter high in carbon and nitrogen and exposed to moist conditions
to attract decomposers. As the decomposers use the composted
organic matter for energy and maintenance, they break it down into
simpler molecules. This process gives off heat, which in turn speeds
up decomposition. Compost can be made in freestanding piles (3- by
3- by 3-foot is an optimal size) or contained in special bins as long as
it receives proper water and air movement.
Once the materials are broken down, the compost can be
incorporated into the soil to increase the nutrient content and
improve the structure. Check the California School Garden
Network Web site at www.csgn.org for more information on creating a compost pile,
or contact your local Cooperative Extension Service office.
72

What to Do When Things Go Wrong?
Extended Learning Program, R.D. White Elementary School, Glendale, CA
what had happened to their hard work!
“Some of them were crying, and others
were angry or dumbfounded. ‘How could
someone be so mean?!’ ‘Didn’t they know
how hard we had worked?’ ‘Didn’t they
have any respect for our garden?’ You can
just imagine the sadness that we felt.
“‘What shall we do now?’ I asked.
Some of the children said we should rip
the stalks out. What was the use in leaving
them there? Others wanted to let them
grow so that we could find out what they
would do without their heads. We decided
to leave them in and see
what happened. After
a few days, we noticed
that each of the stalks
had grown four heads at
the top! How amazing!
Even though the four
heads were much smaller
than the original head,
the plant had taught us
a very important lesson.
Even when things don’t
work out the way one
plans, something can be
learned from allowing
space and time for the
project. If the head
hadn’t been taken, we
might never have known
that a plant doesn’t give up – it fights
for its life. Plants are very tenacious. The
children might not have experienced one
of life’s many wonders. I wouldn’t be able
to tell you this wonderful story that might
bring you enough confidence to keep
trying, even when things go wrong.
“Gardening with children needs to
be a learning and growing experience.
Remember that even farmers are not
always successful at their farming. Crops
do fail. Unexpected things happen. Yet
life goes on. Success is wonderful, but
knowing that things don’t always go the
way we plan is a very important lesson
for all of us. It is often what you do with
what life hands you that teaches you
your best lessons.”
Program Spotlight
Gardening is an
exciting adventure
for you and your
students, but it is not
without its challenges.
The good thing is that
students can learn as
much (and sometimes
more) from garden
problems as they can
from garden success.
Garden Coordinator
Mary Landau shares
her story of garden
challenges at R.D. White
Elementary School:
“When you garden
in a school setting,
things don’t always go
as you have planned. When I first started
gardening with the children at my grade
school, we had to hand-water a very
thin strip of ground on the east side of a
building that was about 60 feet long. We
decided to plant a row of sunflowers. The
children wanted to grow the sunflowers,
and were happy to carry the water to
them every day for two months. What a
pretty sight to see the row of plants against
the white wall. It was time for them to
blossom, and we were all very excited! The
next day we just knew that the flowers
would open up and smile at us.
“We went out to water them in the
morning, expecting to see the yellow
petals smiling at the sun. Instead, we saw
that someone had come along the night
before and had chopped off every one of
their heads. The children couldn’t believe
“ Even when things don’t work out
the way one plans, something can
be learned from allowing ” space
and time for the project.
73

Monitoring for Pests
Your garden ecosystem is home to many insects and other organisms, and
only a handful of them are actually harmful to plants. Even when plant pests
are present, they are not necessarily a threat to the garden. Like healthy people,
healthy plants are usually able to ward off some stress and handle minor damage
while continuing to perform well.
In order to keep pest problems to a minimum, the best practice is to moni-tor
the garden regularly. Insect and disease problems are easiest to fix if caught
early. Check the plants for plant-eating insects like aphids and scale (they often
hide under the leaves). If found early, their populations can be controlled through
handpicking or using a high-pressure water spray. Also look out for leaf spots,
which can be a sign of fungal or bacterial disease. Remove leaves with signs of
disease so it does not spread through the bouncing of irrigation and rainwater.
Place plants you suspect of being diseased in the trash rather than a compost pile.
When you find signs of pests, your first step should be to identify what is
causing the problem. This can be an exciting investigative activity for your students.
Once your sleuths identify the problem, you need to decide whether the damage is
significant enough to warrant any action. Tolerate some plant damage. Observing the
interactions in a garden ecosystem is an important part of the learning process for
your students. Many plant pests have natural predators, and if you remove the pests,
your students will never get to see the predators in action. For example, ladybugs are
ferocious aphid consumers. However, if you don’t have any aphids, then you also
won’t attract any ladybugs.
If the damage becomes more severe, decide whether or not the plants are worth
keeping. Disease problems are often a sign that the plants are not
well adapted to the environment, so pulling them up and replacing
them with crops better suited to the location may be the easiest
solution. If you feel that more control is necessary, such as the use
of pesticides, check with school administrators and maintenance
personnel. Schools have strict pest control regulations.
In addition to monitoring the plants and providing proper
maintenance to promote good plant health, here are some additional
techniques to minimize pest and disease buildup in the garden:
Practice crop rotation. Pests and diseases that affect cer-tain
crops (or families of crops) build up in the soil if the same
crop is grown in a particular bed year after year. By planting a
different crop in the bed each year on a three-year cycle, you can
avoid many problems.
Discourage excess moisture on foliage. Most fungal
and bacterial diseases can infect plant surfaces only if there is
moisture present. In regions where the growing season is humid,
provide adequate space among plants so that air can circulate
freely. Try to keep students out of the garden when it’s wet so
they don’t spread disease organisms.
Plant disease- and pest-resistant varieties. Some
varieties of crops are naturally less susceptible to problems, and
Common Pest Problem:
Gophers
Gophers are small, grayish-brown, thick-haired
74
burrowing rodents. They live and travel in
underground tunnels that they dig with their
large claws. Gophers eat plants from the roots up,
pulling them into their tunnels. The best way to
control gopher damage in a school garden is to
install gopher wire as a physical barrier. Use gal-vanized
mesh wire with openings no larger than
3/4 inch. Bury it in the soil at least 1 foot deep,
and make sure you have enough wire so that the
edges come up to ground level. If you need to
overlap pieces of wire, overlap them by 1 foot. In
a raised bed, staple the wire to the bottom of the
frame. The deeper you bury it, the less the chance
of catching or tearing it with digging tools.

plant breeders have developed many others. Look for resistance information in
variety descriptions in catalogs and on seed packets.
Plant appropriate varieties for your area. Many plants will not thrive
if they are grown in the wrong climate zone.
Clean up your garden. Diseases and pests can remain on infected and
dead plant material, making it easy for them to attack other plants. Remove
infected plant leaves, keep weeds to a minimum, and clean up the garden at the
end of the growing season.
Encourage beneficial organisms. Make the garden inviting to pest
predators such as ladybugs, wasps, lacewings, and birds. Flowers and herbs
provide nectar to predatory insects, and a water source such
as a fountain or bath will attract birds. Growing perennial
plants (those that last two or more seasons) helps to
provide year-round habitats for beneficial organisms.
Install barriers. You can place floating row covers
made of lightweight fabric over plants to protect them from
invading pests. The fabric allows light, moisture, and air to
pass through. However, if you cover a crop that requires
insect pollination in order to bear fruit, you will have to
remove the covers when the plants begin to blossom. Row
covers may also deter some animal pests, but fences are
often the only way to keep large, persistent creatures out of
the garden. Use netting to protect fruit crops from hungry
birds. A collar of newspaper, stiff paper, or boxboard
circling seedling stalks and extending 2 inches above and
below ground prevents cutworm damage.
Summer Maintenance
Maintaining a school garden during the summer amid
vacation plans is a common challenge. You want to enjoy
the break to renew your spirits, but you don’t want to see
all the hard work from the school year transform a beautiful
garden into a jungle of weeds. Here are a few ideas:
Choose low-maintenance plants to begin with.
Focus on growing plants that will thrive on their own without
much attention. Two characteristics to look for are drought
tolerance and vigorous foliage that will smother or out-compete
weeds. Choices vary by region and with the amount
of rain or irrigation available to the garden. Check with your local Cooperative
Extension Service office for a list of plants recommended for your area.
Use mulch. A thick layer of mulch reduces weed growth, maintains soil
moisture, and enriches the soil as it decays. In vegetable and annual beds,
use inexpensive organic mulch such as newspaper topped with straw. In
perennial beds, add a 2- to 3-inch layer of more durable organic mulch, such
as shredded bark.
75

Install
irrigation.
Drip irrigation
equipment is
available at most
home improvement
stores, and you can
set it up to run on
inexpensive timers.
Find volunteer
help. Enlist the help
of parent volunteers or
service organizations such as
FFA, 4-H, Scouts, and church youth groups.
Create a schedule so that the grounds are
checked regularly. Provide detailed care instructions.
If your class has planted summer crops, you can offer the
harvest to the volunteers as a reward. You may want to
hold a work day one Saturday per month to knock down
weeds or perform other large tasks.
Host a summer camp. Many schools offer summer
school classes or children’s summer camps. Get in touch
with teachers or summer camp counselors to see whether
they are interested in taking advantage of your outdoor
classroom facilities during the summer months in exchange
for upkeep.
Harvest in the spring. Pick and use or distribute
as much of the vegetable harvest as is ready. Pick flowers
and press or dry them for art activities in the fall. Before
leaving for the summer, remove all the plants and then
do one of the following:
— Cover it up. Cover the garden with a thick layer
of mulch to discourage weeds and decrease water loss.
The mulch will break down over the summer, providing
organic matter and enriching the soil for next year’s crops.
— Solarize. Solarization is accomplished by covering
moist soil with clear plastic to use the sun’s energy to kill
weeds and soil-dwelling pests.
— Plant a summer cover crop. A cover crop, sometimes
called green manure, is a short-lived legume (e.g., beans)
or grain (e.g., buckwheat) that you plant to prevent weeds,
reduce soil erosion, and boost organic matter. It also helps
maintain or even increase the nitrogen content of the soil.
The next fall, till the cover crop into the soil and plant the
new garden.
— Plant for fall. If there is not going to be much activity
in the school garden during the summer, it might make
Additional Garden
Tasks
In addition to ongoing maintenance,
there will be seasonal garden tasks for
your students to complete. Examples
of these tasks:
Fall
— Plant and harvest fall vegetable crops
— Plant native and drought-tolerant plants
— Save seeds from summer-blooming annuals and perennials
— Gather leaves for composting
— Remove summer crops
— Plant spring-blooming bulbs
— Plant cover crops
— Mulch to provide protection against winter weather
Winter
— Plan the spring garden
— Force bulbs indoors
— Grow indoor plants from cuttings
— Obtain spring garden supplies
— Plant bare-root trees
— Start seeds indoors
— Prune fruit trees and perennial shrubs
Spring
— Clean out winter debris
— Prepare soil for planting
— Transplant seedlings
— Direct sow seeds
— Harvest spring vegetables
Summer
— Plant summer vegetables or prepare garden for
76
summer break
— Schedule volunteers to help with summer care
— Keep weeds under control
— Deadhead flowers and harvest vegetables
— Collect supplies for fall garden
For more information on seasonal gardening tasks, sign
up for a regional e-mail reminder from such organizations
as the National Gardening Association, www.garden.org,
or Rodale, www.organicgardening.com. They will send
timely reminders of seasonally appropriate gardening tasks.
Monrovia

sense to plant a garden in late May or early June
that will be ready for harvest in the fall. Many
vegetable varieties have varied “days to harvest”
times. For example, some corn varieties take 70
days to harvest and others need close to 100 days.
Choosing crop varieties with long “days to harvest”
times, like winter squash, pumpkins, popcorn and
other grains, soybeans, tomatoes, peppers, and
eggplants will provide a bounty when you return
to school.
Vandalism
There is nothing more discouraging to the
students than to watch their garden become the
victim of vandalism. After all the time and sweat
poured into the garden, it is very frustrating to discover senseless damage. In
addition to damage, sometimes a harvest is stolen, robbing students of the chance
to taste the fruits of their labor. To decrease the incidence of vandalism:
Choose a site in a protected or highly visible location. Perhaps
your school has a courtyard or an area protected by a fence. Although students
should have the opportunity to explore the garden during the day, you can
secure it at night and over weekends and breaks. Placing your garden where it is
a centerpiece of the school can often deter vandals.
Post signs with information about the garden. Posting signs
expresses a sense of ownership and lets outsiders know the purpose of the garden
and who is maintaining it. Although it is not a foolproof security system, a sign
that reads “Do Not Pick” or “Please Let Our Plants Grow” may deter unauthorized
harvesting by invoking a sense of wrongdoing.
Create a mobile garden. Grow plants in containers with handles or
wheels that can be moved out into the sun during the day, but secured indoors
after school hours.
Involve neighbors in the project. The school’s neighbors can help keep
an eye on the garden when teachers and students are not
around.
Identify potential vandals and involve
them in the garden. If they feel like they are
part of the garden, not only will that keep them
from vandalizing the garden, it may also
make them more protective of it.
77
Becky Button

Sustaining Your
Garden
Completing the installation of a school garden is a huge feat. Take
time to appreciate your accomplishments and acknowledge the
contributions of others to the garden effort. Bask in your success
and take the opportunity to recharge your batteries. Appreciating
the moment will help energize you for the next stage of garden
development – adopting a plan for sustainability.
In addition to establishing a schedule for garden maintenance, your
team needs to plan intentional activities to help sustain the garden. The
garden should play an important role in the academic lives of your
current students and also be a useful tool for future students. To truly
sustain the garden program, you must tie it closely to your curriculum,
maintain the approval of your administrators, attract additional garden
team members and volunteers, and find new sources of financial and
material support. Most importantly, the garden
should continue to inspire excitement in your
students, their parents, other teachers, administrators,
volunteers, and the community.
This chapter offers suggestions for activities to
help maintain the momentum and sustain the school
garden program. As with the previous stages of garden
development, you would do well to create a plan for
sustainability, outlining specific steps to take and a
timeline for their execution. Garden activities promoting
sustainability do not spontaneously occur. They must
be carefully planned and purposefully implemented.
Using Your School Garden
It seems obvious, but in order to sustain the
garden, your team must actively use it. Plan garden
time into the weekly schedule. Implement lessons
around garden activities and experiments. Encourage
other teachers and youth groups to use the garden,
too (after establishing some basic guidelines for use).
Increased involvement will add value to its role as an
educational tool. To use the garden effectively, make sure to match lessons and
activities with your curricular goals, adopt good outdoor classroom management
techniques, create measurements for success, and document all your efforts.
Gardens for Learning: Sustaining Your Garden
Top: Western Growers Foundation; above: Debbie Delatour
78

Integrating the Garden into the Curriculum
In today’s educational climate, teaching mandatory curriculum standards and
passing related standardized tests are top priorities. A school garden can be a
natural tool for teaching these standards, and promoting that use of the garden
helps to secure administrative support. Review Chapter 3, Linking Gardens to
School Curriculum, to remind yourself of the possibilities. Share your activities
with other teachers and your principal on a regular basis so they are informed of
the academic benefits of the garden.
Outdoor Classroom Management
Working with students in an outdoor learning environment is different from
teaching in a traditional classroom setting. To make sure your time in the garden
is both productive and enjoyable, here are a few tips on classroom management:
Establish garden rules. Create a set of simple rules and share them with
students before you go out to the garden. Additionally, post the rules in the garden
as a reminder. Try to phrase them in a positive way. Rules may include items like
remembering to walk on paths, asking before you pick, and remaining in the garden
area during class. Keep the list short so rules are easy to remember and follow.
Train students on using tools. Before going out to the garden, show
students all the different tools they may use and demonstrate the proper way to
use them. Make sure they know to carry the working end of the tool below their
waist and not to run while holding tools. Also discuss proper storage of the tools
and why it is important not to leave them lying in pathways.
Recruit help. You will need at least one other adult in the garden to be
prepared for emergencies (if one child needs special attention, you cannot leave
the rest of the class outside alone). Depending on the size of your class, it may be
preferable to have three or four adult volunteers. Keeping the activities hands-on is
Monrovia “ ”
I generate garden guidelines by
asking children such questions as,
‘How can we learn science together
in the garden so that we, and all
other living things in the garden, feel
safe?’ Then I take notes, type up
their words, and post them.
Caprice Potter, Garden Coordinator
79
Tips on outdoor classroom management
From Karen Nordstrom, Teacher, Mintie White Elementary School, Watsonville, CA
Gateway Elementary School
Ridgecrest, CA
Provide a shady space for students so they have a place to listen, write, and retreat from full-sun days.
Use clipboards with pencils attached so that papers and science notebooks don’t blow away, get lost, etc. (Having someone
in charge of the portable pencil sharpener is helpful too!)
Rotate responsibilities among small groups or individuals, e.g., watering, garden hose pickup, toolshed key security, etc.
Preview/review your strategy. Before going out to the garden, discuss what will be done, review which teams are in charge
of what, and preview academic science content. After gardening, review what was accomplished, how things went logistically, and
what were the ties to additional lessons. Linking garden activities to classroom learning reinforces the importance of taking garden
time seriously.
Build opportunities for free exploration into garden activities where possible. This is an important part of inquiry-based
learning, and kids are naturally going to stray from focused activities when drawn to some phenomenon of their own interest. I’ve
found that if they know that they will have a set time in the garden to freely explore their individual interests, they’ll remain more
focused during more formal instructional activities.

an important aspect of learning in the garden, and this is hard to accomplish without
plenty of volunteer support.
Divide your class into small groups. Smaller groups allow for more
hands-on experience. It is best if you have a volunteer to lead each group, but
if that is not possible, provide clear instructions for what each group should
accomplish. Choose the groups carefully, taking care to match up students who
will work well together.
Provide a comfortable sitting area. If you are planning to talk to the
class as a whole for an extended time in the garden, use an area where they
can comfortably sit to listen. Trying to talk to the group in a small space with
obstructed views turns into a frustrating experience, and students quickly lose
interest. It is best if this area allows them to sit in a circle or semicircle so they
can clearly see you and feel connected to the rest of the group. Some schools
create sitting areas with benches, hay bales, or even a well-maintained lawn
area. If you do not have a good sitting area in your garden, deliver all group
presentations or demonstrations in the classroom and reserve the garden for the
smaller group activities.
Be prepared for emergencies. Always have a first aid kit in the garden.
Know if any of your students have special health concerns, such as asthma or an
allergy to bee stings.
Creating Measures
for Success
It is important for you to measure the
impact of the garden on your students, as
with any other education program. In the
early planning stages, you developed a list
of goals for the garden. In the sustaining
stages of the program, review these goals
and develop a method to determine
whether your efforts are meeting them.
Create two or three different measures
of success. For example, if one of your
goals was to improve science achievement,
consider creating a pre- and post-knowledge
test for your students or
compare student science grades. Written
test scores are the most common way
to quantify achievement in our society,
but you can also use methods like
tracking change in disciplinary actions
and attendance records (signs of personal
behavior change) or recording changes in
the amount of fruits and vegetables discarded from lunch trays (signs of nutritional
behavior change). Consult with expert school district personnel and local researchers
for ideas on ways to measure the benefits of the school garden.
“
A typical class for us includes
assembling on the stumps by
the solar fountain, discussing our
scope and sequence for the day,
and breaking up into stations with
small groups rotating on a 10- to
15-minute basis. As we cannot
always rely upon parent one of our stations is “reflective,”
where the students write in their journals about their ”
help,
or draw
garden
80
experiences.
Laurie Fannin, Garden Coordinator
Carmel River Elementary School
Carmel, CA

Sustaining the Garden
Green Acres Elementary School, Santa Cruz, CA
“ ” The most important thing to pass
However, she
notes the garden
program “always
had the support
of the site
administration,
and over the
years the
program and
garden have
gained support
from the district
administration.”
Trish credits
“strong support
from parents,
teachers, staff, community, and the
students” as the key to the sustainability
of the garden.
Sally Kiff
Although district funding for the garden
has varied, the program has received
consistent support from the Student Site
Council, demonstrating the importance
along to educators is the message
that ‘gardens in schools are
worth the effort!’
of the garden to
the parents and
students. The
garden team has
used a combination
of fund-raising
efforts, including
donations and
raffles, and has
adapted the
program to fit the
resources available.
For new
gardening
programs, Trish
urges educators to
“have patience, look at books, but mainly
speak to an experienced garden teacher!
Someone who has been there, done
that, is going to give you invaluable, fast
information.” For educators struggling to
maintain a garden, she recommends building
strong community ties. “Create a newsletter
or other means of communication within
the parent community and the broader
community as well,” she suggests. For
those having trouble maintaining financial
support, her tip is to “get creative, go to the
community and ask for big-ticket items to
raffle, ask the PTA for money – even suggest
it raise the cost of joining the PTA.”
Trish has many vibrant memories of the
garden, including watching children enjoy the
taste of new vegetables and observing their
love for gardens grow as they chose to care
for their plants instead of playing during their
lunch recess. She feels the most important thing
to pass along to educators is the message that
“gardens in schools are worth the effort!”
Program Spotlight
In 1978, teacher Ruth Antolini and her
class at Green Acres Elementary School
transformed an asphalt-covered lot into
a thriving growing classroom. Twenty-eight
years later, the garden continues to
be an integral part of the school campus
and curriculum.
Former Garden Coordinator Trish
Hildinger explains that the garden has
faced many challenges, particularly with
changes in financial support. For example,
at times the school maintained a full-time
garden coordinator position, but now it is
able to provide only a part-time position.
Sally Kiff
81

Documenting Efforts
In the midst of an active garden program, it is easy to
neglect the job of recording your efforts. But keeping track of
your progress is critical. Keep a notebook of your activities with
detailed descriptions and photos. Track all donations of funds
and materials along with the names of the donors. Also log all
the positive feedback you receive from students, parents, and
community members. You will draw on this information as you
share your work with administrators, look for additional funds,
and recruit new volunteers.
Communicating with Your
Support Team
Clear communication with administrators, parents, the
garden team, additional volunteers, and donors will play an
important role in sustaining your gardening program. All of
these stakeholders were integral to the creation of the garden,
and they will continue to be strong supporters as long as they
feel that their contributions are valuable and that they know
how they can continue to support you. Clear communication
gives them a sense of ownership of the garden, and in turn
they will feel responsible for keeping it alive.
A way to foster this connection is to set up a regular system of
communication. Some ideas for communicating with your group:
• Write a monthly or quarterly newsletter (sent through mail or e-mail) with
summaries of the recent events and a calendar of upcoming events. Be sure
to include student-written articles and photos.
• Establish a garden Web site that is updated regularly. Send out a monthly
e-mail to notify supporters of updates and remind them to visit the site.
• Hold monthly or quarterly garden workdays to provide hands-on involvement.
• Hold a semiannual or annual garden party to recognize donors and volunteers.
• Find a way to communicate with supporters that is comfortable for
you and is accessible to your audience, and then stick to it on a regular
schedule. If possible, decrease the workload by finding a reliable volunteer
to help you develop your communication pieces.
Promoting the Garden to the Community
In addition to communicating with your support team, communicate success
with community members who are not directly involved in the garden. Promoting
the school garden in the community helps to establish a solid reputation, which
not only validates the efforts of your current team, but also helps with recruitment
of new members. You cannot rely on a small number of volunteers and donors
to sustain your gardens year after year because interests and time or funding
availability may change. Also, if you expect too much from your supporters,
you risk burning them out. Be on a constant lookout for additional partners.
University of California Department of
Agriculture and Natural Resources
“
Our dream now is to complete
our endowment fund for the
garden. We are trying to ensure
our garden’s future. Our goal is
to raise $300,000 so interest and fund appreciation support our garden This would secure the ”
that the
can
teacher.
future
82
of the garden forever.
Kay Rex, Teacher
Redwood Elementary School
Fort Bragg, CA

What’s more, by promoting your garden, you may inspire other schools to
begin gardening and increase the enthusiasm and support for school gardening
throughout the community. To promote your garden effort in the community:
• Write press releases and send them to local media outlets.
• Invite the press and government officials to special garden events.
• Use your students’ new horticultural expertise to help with a special
community beautification project or service project.
• Host annual garden tours open to the public (this can also become a
fundraising event).
• Network and share your story everywhere you go!
Garden Program Expansion
All the items mentioned so far will help
to maintain excitement and momentum
around the school garden program. However,
nothing is as powerful as adding a new
element to the program each year. People
love to be involved on the ground floor of a
project. It gives them a special opportunity to
contribute ideas and join in without feeling
like an outsider. As time goes by, envision
a dynamic garden program that you can
cultivate and grow to ensure sustainability.
You may have established a sense of
evolution by dividing the original design into
stages for implementation over several years.
As you add each new section, review the
plan and let current garden team members
be involved in revising it so that they will be
invested in its implementation.
If you did not begin with a multiyear
plan, let each year’s garden team brainstorm a
new project. Perhaps there is a new curricular
requirement you would like to teach through
the garden, and the team can work to
provide the necessary resources. For instance, maybe you originally constructed
a butterfly garden to teach about habitats, and now you want to expand to teach
nutrition too. Depending on space, you can install new raised beds or containers
to grow vegetables. Or maybe the initial garden focused on one grade level, but
after seeing its success, additional grade levels would like to get involved.
The new program element does not need to be large in size or scope to
stir people’s excitement. A special stepping-stone workshop could be conducted
to add art to an existing butterfly garden, or a new trellis could be built for
a vegetable garden. The main thing is for new team members to know their
efforts are adding to existing resources and feel that they are making valuable
contributions to the garden.
Steven Hellon/Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
83

Finding Funds and Supplies
Many school gardens struggle with finding
funds for garden maintenance. Two ways to bolster
funding efforts have already been mentioned: actively
promoting the garden in the community and adding
a new element each year (it is often easier to find
funds for new projects than for existing projects). A
third way to secure funding is to establish an annual
fundraising event.
Establishing a consistent fundraising event can
provide you with a secure source of money each year.
Look for a garden product that can be created from
your existing resources and will be valued by your
community. For example, have children collect and
package seeds, then sell them at a garden tour. Linking
garden activities and moneymaking opportunities
increases the educational value of the fundraiser and
adds an element of enthusiasm and pride because
students feel connected to their product. Also, if the
event is something that can be repeated each year, it
will gather a strong customer base.
Fundraisers must be designed to meet the unique
needs and audiences of each school. What works for one school garden may not
work for another. There is great value in investigating existing fundraising ideas, but
spend time accessing your own resources to find a good fit. Your school may try
several different projects before finding the right one.
Attracting Help to Sustain the Garden
The need for a large support team to sustain a garden program cannot be
overemphasized. A garden is not an individual endeavor. You will need lots of
Judy Huffaker
Tips For Sustaining Garden Efforts
From John McCombs, Principal, Emerson Elementary School, Riverside, CA
84
Because principals come and go, the garden should not become dependent on the administration for sustainability.
When a school garden becomes too dependent on any one person, whether it is a teacher, a volunteer, or a principal, the garden
is in jeopardy of failure. The best solution to this is to build community support for the garden. Different community members
should commit to specific responsibilities in order for the garden organization to be sustainable.
The garden cannot be an add-on activity not related to the instructional day. All gardening activities must be used to
provide learning experiences that help students meet state proficiency standards in all curricular areas.
Consider the integration of the garden into the school’s existing asset base. Teachers will need varied levels of support
to become involved in the garden. At Emerson Elementary, several staff development sessions were presented about the infusion of
garden-based activities to support a strong standards-based curriculum.

help when planning, raising funds,
planting, conducting activities, and
maintaining the garden. Active
volunteers are an important
component of any school garden
program, and as you work to
sustain your garden you will
need to find ways to keep current
volunteers as well as attract new
volunteers. Chapter 10, Working
with Volunteers, covers this topic in
more detail.
In addition to volunteer
support, many schools have
discovered the benefits of a part-time or full-time paid
garden coordinator position. A paid coordinator has
more time to devote to planning and teaching in the
garden. Often, volunteers are drawn in many different
directions, but a paid employee is able to focus on
specific job responsibilities. Along with the paycheck
comes a stronger obligation and higher expectations. A
paid coordinator can often provide more continuity and
commitment than a volunteer.
A garden coordinator should have both an education
background and horticulture experience. The coordinator
helps to alleviate some of the workload associated with
the garden, such as communication with volunteers,
planning of fundraising events, and purchasing
of supplies. However, the hiring of a paid garden
coordinator does not mean classroom teachers are not
involved in the garden experience; instead, it allows them
to focus their energies on the lessons.
Some garden coordinators are based at one school.
Others work with multiple schools in a school district.
Talk to your principal and local administrators to explore
possibilities and resources.
85
TIPS FOR Sustaining Garden
Efforts
From Dorothy Peterson, School Garden Coordinator,
Davis Joint Unified School District
Create a garden logo. It is a way to identify the garden
program with granting agencies and solicit funds from the
local community and service organizations. As an example,
the logo for Davis is the tagline “Sow It, Grow It, Reap It,
Eat It, and Recycle Too…Connecting Youth with Their
Environment,” and complementary graphic.
Make sure your school gardens have a strong
marker on the school’s Web site. It should be updated
each month. The Web provides a way to post lessons, help
gardening parents communicate, and cut down on paper
and mailing costs.
Write a “Garden Corner” piece in the school
newsletter, printed in English and any other language
common among the student population.
Recruit gardening parents at Back-to-School Nights.
Shortly thereafter, hold two training sessions to explain
the workings of the garden. Make one right after school
is dismissed and one in the evening for parents working
outside the home.
Send out a letter of request for donations to parents
during the first quarter of each school year.
Look for unique funding opportunities within your
school and community. In Davis, the RISE (Recycling Is
Simply Elementary) program conducted in eight elementary
schools saves DJUSD tens of thousands of dollars in solid
waste bills each year. The saved money is then reinvested in
school garden projects.

Working with
Volunteers
Volunteers contribute a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to a gardening
program. They also bring abundant skills, fresh ideas, and extra hands
to help with garden activities. There are a number of best management
practices to adopt when working with volunteers, but communication is the
key. If you effectively communicate your needs and expectations, provide
volunteers with the information needed to complete their assignments, and follow
up with clear words of appreciation, you will have strong volunteer relationships.
Establishing Roles for Volunteers
Before recruiting, define the role you want volunteers to play in your garden
program. Create a list of specific jobs you need help with and also when these
activities should take place. Do you want volunteers who can be there on a
weekly basis or just for special events? Do you want them to help plan and
prepare garden programs, or do you just want them to help
with the activities?
Keep in mind that people volunteer for different reasons,
and any group of people will have a wide range of talents.
If you communicate the jobs available for volunteers to
complete, then they can determine whether your opportunities
match their interests and skills. The time you spend preparing
for volunteers and establishing clear responsibilities will help
you create an effective and efficient volunteer team.
All volunteers want to feel that they are contributing
in a meaningful way. Involve them in as much of the
planning and decision making as possible to create a sense
of ownership and independence. Although you will certainly
need help with some “grunt work,” as long as volunteers
know their efforts are helping the program, they will feel like
valuable team members.
Recruiting Volunteers
Once you know how you are going to use volunteers,
begin the recruiting process. Look for volunteers who will
encourage exploration and inquiry-based learning during
garden activities and who will approach the garden with a
fun and adventurous attitude.
Gardens for Learning: Working with Volunteers
86
Judy Huffaker

Most schools find their strongest
volunteers through parent groups. Reach
out to parents in newsletters, on the
school Web site, at parent meetings, and
at open houses. Additionally, search for
volunteers through local horticulture
clubs (garden club members, college
horticulture departments), “green industry”
businesses (garden centers, landscape
design firms), senior citizen organizations,
and service organizations (Cooperative
Extension Service Master Gardeners,
Rotary, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, California
Service Corps, California Garden
Clubs members, California Women for
Agriculture representatives, and local
corporations’ volunteer service programs).
The garden team members who helped
plan the garden will often be transformed
into a core of strong volunteers. Another possibility is to recruit older students to
provide support for garden activities. Elementary school students love to interact
with middle school and high school students. A mentoring relationship provides
an excellent learning experience for the older students, too.
Some volunteers will be available only for special events. For instance, a Boy
Scout might develop an Eagle Scout project at your garden. Other volunteers may
be available to help on a regular basis, for example, a stay-at-home parent with a
horticulture degree. Garden programs benefit from a diverse set of volunteers.
As you reach out to potential volunteers, schedule a special meeting to share
information about the program and the opportunities available. If possible, hold
this event during the same hours you typically need volunteer help. If people are
available for the informational meeting at that time, they may well be available to
volunteer in the future during the same time frame.
In both written and oral requests, be sure to inform potential volunteers
of your expectations, including time commitments and tasks. Be as specific as
possible; give the dates and times their services will be needed. Also check your
school’s policy on volunteer recruitment procedures. Most schools require
volunteers to complete a background check with fingerprinting before service
can begin. Individuals should be informed of this type of requirement during the
recruitment stage. When people sign up or indicate an interest in volunteering,
follow up with a phone call or in person to reiterate these expectations and give
them a chance to ask questions. Not all individuals are a good fit with a school
garden program, and it is best for both parties to figure this out during the
recruiting stage rather than in the middle of the program.
Although mass recruiting is less time consuming, keep in mind that people
like to be asked in person. It is a first step in making them feel important; it
conveys respect and builds confidence. Consider making phone calls or sending
Debbie Delatour
“
For many children, a garden
experience offers one of the few
chances they have to work side by
side with an adult and engage in
relaxed, unintentional, rambling, and
personal conversations. I heard this
years ago at a conference and then
I began to take note of it when I
was in the garden with
students, and what a revelation it
was! These types of conversations
and experiences help build a
connection between students school – so necessary for our students focused and in the educational setting.
Martha Deichler, Principal
Vista Square Elementary ”
and
keeping
successful
School
Chula Vista, CA
87

personal invitations to individuals you have met who would be good volunteers
or who have been recommended to you by others.
The recruiting process may sound like a substantial undertaking, and it
is. However, you will be rewarded by a supportive, dedicated, and informed
volunteer group who will help sustain your garden efforts.
Orientation
After recruiting volunteers, you need to continue strong communication skills
through orientation followed by appropriate training. You will begin by orienting
the volunteers to the program, the students, and the school. Start by once again
reminding them of your expectations. Next, brief them on school policies. For
example, let them know where to park, where to sign in, and what the procedures
are for screening. Introduce volunteers to key school personnel like the principal
and office secretaries. After this overview, provide the group with a tour of the
garden and school. They need to know things like the locations of bathrooms,
how the students will travel to the garden, where tools are stored, etc. In addition
to an in-person orientation, provide this
information in writing for later reference.
Training
You will also need to provide training
to properly prepare the volunteers for
their jobs, whatever they may be. The
most important thing is to always provide
clear instructions as to what you want
them to do and give them a chance to
ask questions. To be successful, volunteers
must know what is expected of them.
Provide background on any specific skills
or knowledge needed to complete tasks
by sending copies of your lessons a week
ahead of time, or links to information on
Web sites or recommended books.
In addition to regular training
and information related to activities
and programs, it is a special treat for
volunteers to attend “advanced training.”
For instance, you can invite a guest
speaker to introduce a new curriculum
or teach volunteers about inquiry-based
learning techniques. Depending on their level of involvement, certain volunteers
might be invited to attend trainings conducted for educators by school districts
and other organizations. Training is a powerful tool to motivate your volunteers
and keep them excited about your program.
88

Program Spotlight
Americorps Volunteers Vital to Program Success
Bayside Elementary School, Sausalito, CA
For the past two years,
array of partners, each serving a particular
niche within the community. Marin Food
Systems Project Coordinator Leah Smith
cites many benefits in working with a
large number of partners, including the
fact that “each partner was only asked
for one specific kind of donation, making
it much easier to secure donations from
local organizations.” Another benefit was
that the collaborations turned into “very
good advertising for our project and, more
importantly, for the Bayside Elementary
School community. By soliciting
partnerships throughout the community,
we were able to build on the school’s
growing reputation and demonstrate
the innovative range of projects being
implemented.”
In addition to community partnerships,
the volunteers’ leadership was “fundamental
to the completion of the project,” Leah
says, noting that the turtle habitat “most
The garden, with the support of
volunteers, fostered teamwork, creative
problem solving, and a sense of
responsibility for taking care
of other living things.
likely would not have been
completed without their
initiation and commitment to
the project. They provided the
original motivation to begin the
project, garnered support for the
project at the school, gathered
all of the resources, wrote the
grant, created and taught the
appropriate curriculum, and
supervised the assembly of the
fountain and pond habitat with
the help of the students.”
Through each step of the
process, the volunteers taught
students important educational
concepts, including the basics
of solar energy, recycling,
Environmental Education Council of Marin
habitat restoration, and light construction
skills through hands-on activities. “Solar
education is a science standard for sixth
graders, so the project directly addressed
state curriculum standards. Without the
solar panel, the sixth grade class at Bayside
would have learned about passive solar
elements and design, but would not have
been able to study the direct harvesting
of the sun’s rays for the production of
electricity.” After the habitat was installed,
it became clear that “although the final,
completed project will be a monument to
the garden, the process was certainly just
as important as the final product – if not
more so,” Leah says.
This project illustrates how the garden,
with the support of volunteers, fostered
teamwork, creative problem solving, and
a sense of responsibility for taking care of
other living things.
the Marin Food Systems
Project (a project of the
Environmental Education
Council of Marin) has
partnered with Americorps
volunteers working at the
Marin Conservation Corps
to run a gardening and
nutrition education program
at Bayside Elementary
School in Sausalito. This
collaborative program takes
an integrated approach
to reconnecting students
with the environment and
promoting healthy foods
in schools. Americorps is a
federally funded program for Americans
of all ages and backgrounds providing full-and
part-time opportunities for individuals
to serve in communities across the country.
One particularly innovative project
facilitated by the Americorps volunteers
was the design and installation of a turtle
habitat, including a solar-powered water
fountain connected to a small, bathtub-sized
pond. The project was inspired by a
teacher’s desire to free her three box turtles
from the confines of a small terrarium
inside her sixth grade classroom. After
Americorps volunteers, the teacher, and
the class developed a vision for the project,
they began planning the turtle habitat.
The students took part in the initial
brainstorming and design. The volunteers
then searched for donations and support
to make the plan a reality. The project
evolved into a collaboration among a vast
Gardens for Learning: Working with Volunteers 89

Communicating with
Volunteers
As previously mentioned, clear
communication with volunteers is essential.
When communication is poor, volunteers feel
uninformed, unimportant, and underappreciated.
Disorganization and lack of communication will
frustrate them, and they will quit. Here are a few
communication tips for working with volunteers:
Keep a good record of volunteers
with up-to-date contact information.
It would be unfortunate to accidentally miss
someone.
Establish a standard method of
communication that is delivered
consistently. This may be a weekly e-mail,
a monthly newsletter, or a regular Web site
posting. Choose a method that works well
for you and your volunteers. By establishing a routine, you remind yourself to
communicate with your volunteers, and in turn they have a place to go for the
latest information.
Create a written schedule of events that is accessible to all
volunteers. It can be mailed out or posted on a Web site. Make sure you have
an effective way to notify volunteers if any changes are made (via either e-mail or
a phone tree).
Hold a regular volunteer meeting either monthly or quarterly.
Personal contact allows for more interactive discussions, and it is very important for
volunteers to have a chance to provide you with feedback and suggestions for the
program. This is also a great time for you to show your appreciation for their work.
Provide members of the group with comments about their job
performance. Although a formal evaluation may not be possible, volunteers
need constructive feedback so they can learn and grow during this experience.
With your busy schedule, it may seem overwhelming to find time for
this level of communication. If you feel that you cannot maintain strong
communication, seek out a volunteer willing to assume this role. Communication
is not a task that can be neglected even briefly without negative consequences. It
is the key to a successful volunteer experience (for the volunteers and for you)!
Retaining Volunteers
All the suggestions mentioned thus far will contribute to the satisfaction of
your volunteers and help you retain them. In a school setting, you will naturally
lose volunteers as students graduate and families move, but by adopting good
techniques, you can decrease the number of people who quit because of a
negative volunteer experience.
If you are concerned about volunteer retention, take time to find out why
90

Program Spotlight
Working with College Students
Life Lab Garden Classroom Program, Santa Cruz, CA
Successful garden programs
Internship programs
allow for more
specialized involvement.
Most colleges have
some sort of internship program associated
with their career center or academic
departments; student interns participate in
directed work experiences in their field in
exchange for course credit. Interns arrive
with a bit more background knowledge
and usually are willing to take on
independent projects with guidance from
you. Examples of intern projects completed
in the Life Lab gardens include construction
of a wheelchair bed, creation of worm bins
with interpretive signs, and creation and
teaching of specific lessons in the garden.
College students often participate in
volunteer and internship positions without
Left: John Fisher/Life Lab; inset: Alicia Dickerson/Life Lab “ ”
Life Lab was a great opportunity
for me to close my books for
a while, leave the library, and
spend interactive time with kids
outside! Life Lab helped
balance my time at UCSC.
Vanessa Shaw
UCSC Community Studies, 2006
financial compensation; however,
if you have a little bit of money
available to you, consider work-study
programs. Work-study is a federally
subsidized work program for college
students eligible for financial aid.
The employing agency pays half the
salary and the college’s financial
aid office pays the other half. John
Fisher recommends using work-study
positions to help with tasks that may or may
not enhance the student’s career aspirations
but are still needed for your garden, such as
regular maintenance.
John explains that “recruiting interns
and work-study students is usually as simple
as creating an internship/job description
and sending it to the appropriate office,”
but cautions that “both interns and
work-study positions require a substantial
amount of supervision and guidance.” He
suggests using these resources only if your
garden has the staffing to do so. Even
though collaborating with higher education
institutions comes with additional
administrative duties, this arrangement
can be a win-win situation for the college
students and the garden program.
rely on volunteer support, but
finding good volunteers is
not always easy. Life Lab Garden
Classroom Program Director John
Fisher recommends exploring
your local college or university for
potential garden help.
College students, in order to
diversify their resumes and gain real-life
experience, often balance their
academic studies with participation
in meaningful projects accessed
through volunteer
experiences,
internships,
and work-study
positions. If you
find students
with an interest
in gardening
and youth,
you can offer
them wonderful
learning opportunities and at the same time
benefit from their support for your program.
Some classes and organizations (for
example, service-learning courses, clubs,
sororities, and fraternities) include a service-learning
element in which students must
participate in a certain amount of volunteer
work to meet requirements. These students
may not be able to dedicate a lot of time
to the garden, but are a good target for
helping with specific activity days when
teachers need more hands and eyes to
help manage students. They may also
be available to help with fundraising and
installation of large projects.
Gardens for Learning: Working with Volunteers 91

people sign up. Volunteers often pitch in because they care about the
project and its participants. Some may have children in the program
with whom they want to spend more quality time; others may want
to be more involved in their communities, meet new people, or
make a difference. To keep volunteers interested and motivated, it is
important for you to understand and meet their needs as much as
possible while still meeting yours. For instance, if someone volunteers
because she wants to spend time with her child, but you never
assign her to work with her child’s class, she will not stick with it for
long. Or, if someone volunteers in order to meet new people, and
you always ask him to assist with individual preparation, he will get
discouraged and quit.
Also remember that volunteers should support, not replace,
educators. Although you may find volunteers who are willing to
take on significant planning and educational delivery responsibilities,
most volunteers will feel overwhelmed if left on their own to teach
a full lesson, or will feel they lack proper guidance. Classroom
teachers should be present during all garden activities.
As discussed earlier, not all individuals have the personalities
and skills to be strong garden volunteers, so if you find your needs
and their needs do not match, you may suggest other volunteer
opportunities that would be better suited for them.
Volunteer Appreciation
Volunteers need to feel appreciated. To be sure, contributing to
the community is personally satisfying. Also, working with students
and watching their curiosity and excitement bloom is motivational
and inspiring. But in addition to these rewards, you should implement
both informal and formal methods of thanking your volunteers.
Informal ways to thank your volunteers include simple thank
yous and smiles when they come to help or a quick e-mail after activities. More
formal thanks include handwritten notes (from you and the students), small
gifts from the garden (like pressed-flower bookmarks or herbal sachets), and
recognition of volunteers in newsletter and newspaper articles. If possible, hold a
special event each year focusing on volunteer appreciation, such as a ceremony
in the garden or a luncheon. This event can be specifically hosted for garden
volunteers, or you can work with other teachers to recognize volunteers in
several programs.
Involve your students as much as possible in appreciation efforts. This
helps them learn the importance of being grateful and showing respect for
those who help them. It is an important life lesson that is often overlooked in
our fast-paced society.
92

Gardens for Learning: Resources
• What’s Growin’ On? Highlights the many
careers and agricultural products available
in California. Activities, trivia, readings, and
graphics provide a connection for every
learner. Many activities are aligned to the
Content Standards for California Public
Schools.
California School Garden Network
www.csgn.org
Click on “Curriculum” for lesson plans
from many resources.
Garden Mosaics
www.gardenmosaics.cornell.edu
Connects youth and elders to investigate
the mosaic of plants, people, and cultures
in gardens.
Harvest of the Month
www.harvestofthemonth.com
Tools and resources to give students
hands-on opportunities to explore, taste,
and learn about the importance of eating
fruits and vegetables.
School Garden Wizard
www.schoolgardenwizard.org
An online guide for creating and support-ing
school gardens developed for America’s
K-12 school community through a partner-ship
between the U.S. Botanic Garden and
Chicago Botanic Garden.
Print publications
Children’s Gardens: A Field Guide for
Teachers, Parents, and Volunteers.
Elizabeth Bremner and John Pusey.
1999. UCCE, Common Ground Garden
Program, Oakland, CA. Includes concepts
and techniques important to successful
gardening, activities that encourage
creativity, and experiments that develop
skills in scientific observation.
Digging Deeper. Joseph Kiefer and Martin
Kemple. 1998. Food Works and Common
Roots Press, Montpelier, VT. A how-to
guide for teachers, parents, and community
workers who want to create children’s
gardens linked to a community’s heritage.
Discovering the Naturalist Intelligence:
Science in the School Yard. Jenna Glock,
Susan Wertz, and Maggie Meyer. 1999.
Zephyr Press, Chicago. This teacher
resource defines “naturalist intelligence,”
and offers 30 outdoor lessons that meet
national science standards, use multiple
intelligence techniques, and strengthen
students’ use of the naturalist intelligence.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Photo Cards.
A set of 142 beautiful color photographs
suitable for framing. The front of each
laminated 81/2”x 91/2” card displays a fruit
or vegetable with its name in English and
Resources
California School
Garden Network
www.csgn.org – A comprehensive
reference for online publications, training
opportunities, and fundraising ideas.
Online publications
www.cde.ca.gov
A Child’s Garden of Standards: Linking
School Gardens to California Education
Standards. This garden-based guide uses
existing curricula in grades 2-6 and features
effective learning strategies. Activities
are linked to specific academic content
standards at each grade level in science,
history-social science, mathematics, and
English-language arts. Download free at:
www.cde.ca.gov/re/pn/fd/ or purchase a
printed copy at: www.cde.ca.gov/re/pn/rc/
ap/pubcat.aspx.
California Foundation for
Agriculture in the Classroom
www.cfaitc.org
• Fruits and Vegetables for Health. This
comprehensive unit teaches students about
the production, distribution, and nutritional
value of California’s fresh produce.
Incorporates geography, language
arts, mathematics, science, health, and
nutrition concepts. Aligned to the Content
Standards for California Public Schools.
Downloadable pdf.
• Farming is Food, Fiber, Flowers and
Fun! Jan Sherbo. 2000. The Agricultural
Network. This resource guide walks readers
through the planning and implementation
process of establishing or enhancing a
garden project. Downloadable pdf.
• Imagine This… Story Writing Contest. An
award-winning contest for students that
creates a positive learning experience, pro-motes
reading and writing, and furthers
students’ understanding of agriculture in
our lives.
• Teacher Resource Guide. A compilation
of resources linking gardens and school
curricula to agriculture.
93

South Burlington, VT. Stories of
actual classroom, schoolwide,
and community plant- and
garden-related business projects
that engage students and meet
curriculum goals.
Grow Lab®: Activities for Growing
Minds. Eve Pranis and Joy Cohen.
1997. National Gardening
Association, South Burlington,
VT. This complete curriculum
uses fun, illustrated activities to
explore plant life cycles, examine
plant diversity, and investigate
the interdependence of plants
and humans.
Healthy Foods from Healthy
Soils: A Hands-On Resource for
Teachers. Elizabeth Patten and
Kathy Lyons. 2003. Tilbury House
Publishers, Gardiner, ME. Learn
where food comes from, how
our bodies use food, and what happens
to food waste. Includes a guide for
integrating activities into the classroom.
How to Teach Nutrition to Kids. 3rd. Ed.
Connie Liakos Evers. 2006. 24 Carrot
Press, Portland, OR. Promotes positive
attitudes about food, fitness, and body
image. Features hundreds of fun, hands-on
nutrition education activities aimed at
children ages 6-12.
Investigations in Horticulture: A Middle
School Horticulture Curriculum. Fifteen
student-centered activities stressing higher-order
thinking strategies that challenge
students to be inquisitive, to observe and
experiment, and to work individually and
together to solve problems. Available from
the California Association of Nurseries
and Garden Centers: www.cangc.org/
educationAndCareer/curriculum.asp
Junior Master Gardener (JMG) Program
Books. 1999. Texas Cooperative Extension,
College Station, TX. This national children’s
gardening program enables youngsters in
school or youth groups to become certified
Junior Master Gardeners. Includes: JMG
Handbook: Level 1 (Gr. 3-5), JMG Teacher/
Leader Guide: Level 1, JMG Level 2, Health
and Nutrition from the Garden, Wildlife
Gardener, and Literature in the Garden.
Kids Cook Farm-Fresh Food Activity Guide.
An activity guide that links academic
content standards to the real world through
gardens, nutrition, cooking, recycling, and
the environment. Activities engage teachers
and students in grades 2-7 in exploring
fresh, seasonal, locally grown produce
through direct experience. Available from
the California Department of Education:
www.cde.ca.gov/re/pn/rc/ ap/pubcat.aspx.
Life Lab Science Curriculum. Life Lab
Science Program, Santa Cruz, CA. This
sequential K-5 program integrates earth
science, life science, and physical science
concepts within the context of a Living
Laboratory school garden. Features
inquiry-based lessons, blackline masters
in Spanish and English, and a CA State
Science Standards matrix.
Math in the Garden. Jennifer M. White,
Katharine Barret, and Jaine Kopp. 2006.
National Gardening Association, South
Burlington, VT. An engaging curriculum
that uses a mathematical lens to take
children on an education-filled exploration
of the garden. Dozens of hands-on
activities hone math skills and promote
inquiry, language arts, and nutrition.
Nutrition to Grow On. An innovative
curriculum for grades 4-6 that offers
teachers a direct link between the garden
and nutrition education. Nine lessons use
garden activities and integrate science,
mathematics, language arts, history,
environmental studies, nutrition, and
Spanish. The reverse has an analysis of
nutrients, suggested serving size, and other
useful information. Available from the
California Department of Education: www.
cde.ca.gov/re/pn/rc/ap/pubcat.aspx.
Fruits & Vegetables Galore: Helping Kids
Eat More. Packed with tips on planning,
purchasing, protecting, preparing,
presenting, and promoting fruits and
vegetables. A great tool for school
food-service professionals who want to
rejuvenate their cafeterias with colorful
fruits and vegetables. Available from: www.
fns.usda.gov/tn/ Resources/fv_galore.html
GET IT! Global Education To Improve
Tomorrow. A standards-based curriculum
that teaches students about their roles as
consumers and the effects their choices
have in the global marketplace. The unit
emphasizes reading comprehension,
writing for a particular audience, high-level
thinking, and research strategies. Available
from: www.heifered.org/getit
Getting Started: A Guide for Creating
School Gardens as Outdoor Classrooms.
1997. Life Lab Science Program, Santa Cruz,
CA. A concise guide that asks and answers
most questions you need to consider for
creating an outdoor classroom garden.
Growing Ventures: Starting a School Garden
Business. Eve Pranis and Amy Gifford.
2003. National Gardening Association,
Debbie Delatour
94 Gardens for Learning: Resources

Steps to a Bountiful Kids’ Garden. Amy
Gifford. 2001. National Gardening
Association, South Burlington, VT. A
how-to guide containing all you need to
know to launch and sustain a school or
community kids’ gardening program.
Success with School Gardens. Linda Guy,
Cathy Cromwell, and Lucy K. Bradley.
1996. Arizona Master Gardeners, Inc.,
Phoenix, AZ. Helps teachers, administrators,
and parents start school gardens and
is especially useful for desert settings.
Includes planting guides and funding, seed,
and supply sources.
Sunset Western Garden Book. Kathleen
Norris Brenzel (Ed). 2001. Sunset Publish-ing,
Menlo Park, CA. A great resource
featuring thousands of plant descriptions
and numerous gardening tips.
10 Terrific Vegetables and Everything You
Need to Grow Them. Barbara Richardson,
Amy Gifford, Charlie Nardozzi, and
Eve Pranis. 2002. National Gardening
Assoc-iation, South Burlington, VT. Basic
gardening information and lively historical
and cultural connections to deepen kids’
appreciation of 10 crops.
The Growing Classroom. Roberta Jaffe
and Gary Appel. 1990. Addison-Wesley
Publishing Company, Menlo Park, CA. The
Life Lab Science Program’s award-winning
resource book containing step-by-step
instructions for setting up a garden-based
science program and dozens of outdoor
classroom activities.
Fundraising
California School Garden
Network
www.csgn.org
Click on “Grants and Fundraising”
for school garden funding opportu-nities
for California educators.
National Gardening Association
www.kidsgardening.com/grants
NGA works with sponsoring
companies and organizations to
provide funding and in-kind grants
to projects that actively engage
kids in the garden and improve the
quality of life for their communities.
Supplies
KidMAX for California’s Schools
www.ciwmb.ca.gov/CalMAX/Kidmax.htm
Free used materials for California schools.
www.kidsgardeningstore.com
The most complete store for kids’ garden-ing
supplies.
RAFT, Resource Area for Teaching
www.raft.net
A low-cost resource for tools and
materials (computers, office supplies, and
manufacturing by-products donated by local
businesses) to help teachers promote hands-on
learning in science, math, technology,
and art.
Training opportunities
www.csgn.org
Click on “Training” for a list of training
centers across California or browse the
calendar for upcoming training events.
Life Lab Science Program
www.lifelab.org
Offers workshops for educators in garden-based
science and nutrition, at schools and
at the Life Lab garden.
The Watershed Project
www.thewatershedproject.org
A listing of services, workshops, and grant
programs for Bay Area school gardeners.
health, while reinforcing some California
academic content standards. Available from
the California Department of Education:
www.cde.ca.gov/ re/pn/rc/ap/pubcat.aspx.
Planting Seeds, Growing Minds: A
Horticultural K-6 Curriculum. Kathryn
Donald. 1991. Teaches students about
plants through observation, data gathering,
and categorizing and sequencing. Students
also acquire reasoning skills, learn to
synthesize information, and examine the
impact of their new knowledge. Available
from the California Association of Nurseries
and Garden Centers: www.cangc.org/
educationAndCareer/curriculum.asp
Resources for Learning. 2nd ed, 2003.
Project Food, Land, and People, Chandler,
AZ. A pre-K-12 science- and social
sciences-based curriculum consisting of 55
hands-on activities. Subjects range from
environmental science and stewardship to
human populations and land-use issues.
Schoolyard Mosaics: Designing Gardens
and Habitats. Eve Pranis and Amy Gifford.
South Burlington, VT. How to involve
students, build community support,
and integrate your garden project with
curriculum and learning goals.
Sowing the Seeds of Success: How to Start
and Sustain a Kids’ Gardening Project in
Your Community. Marcia Eames-Sheavly.
South Burlington, VT. Describes how to
initiate a gardening project that involves
kids and the community, and how to
ensure long-term program success.
University of California Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources
Gardens for Learning: Resources 95

California Garden Clubs, Inc.
www.CaliforniaGardenClubs.org
Links to grants and opportunities
for gardening with youth.
California Healthy Kids
Resource Center
www.californiahealthykids.org
Comprehensive health
education materials for teachers,
administrators, university faculty,
LEA staff, and other professionals
who work with pre-K-12 students
in school settings and after-school
programs.
California Master Gardeners
www.mastergardeners.org
Volunteers trained by the Univer-sity
of California Cooperative Extension.
Includes links to Extension offices and
gardening tips.
www.csgn.org
Links to curriculum, grants and fundraising,
events, research, regional contacts, and
training opportunities.
California School Waste Reduction
www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Schools/
WasteReduce/default.htm
Great information on how to set up or
improve a school or district-wide waste
reduction program. Includes stories of
successful programs and partnerships that save
money and benefit the environment, links to
downloadable resource guides, and more.
Dairy Council of California
www.dairycouncilofca.org
Many free and ready-to-use nutrition
education programs for California teachers
that meet state content standards.
Get Growing from the Ground Up!
www.fns.usda.gov/tn/ Educators/
Garden/index.html
An online resource from the USDA’s Food
and Nutrition Service on how to start a
Team Nutrition garden.
Junior Master Gardener Program
www.jmgkids.us
An international youth gardening program
of the University Cooperative Extension
network.
Life Lab Science Program
www.lifelab.org
Promotes science- and garden-based learning
through publications, training, and programs.
MyPyramid.gov
www.mypyramid.gov/kids/index.html
Nutrition education tools targeted to
children ages 6-11, including an interactive
Web game and classroom materials to
help children learn the MyPyramid food
guidance system.
National Farm to School Program
www.farmtoschool.org/ca
Learn about California programs that
connect schools with local farms to enable
schools to serve healthy meals in cafeterias,
improve student nutrition, provide health
and nutrition education opportunities, and
support local farmers.
www.kidsgardening.com
www.garden.org
Features Kids Garden e-News (thematic
articles and activities, information on grants
and conferences, and links to educational
resources), plant-based lesson plans,
classroom gardening stories, a School Garden
Registry, horticultural libraries, and more.
Organic Gardening
www.organicgardening.com
Gardening tips and recommendations for
organic gardeners nationwide.
Web sites
California Foundation for
Agriculture in the Classroom
www.cfaitc.org
Educational resources using agricultural
examples for K-12 teachers and students.
Includes curriculum, lesson plans, a
calendar of events, games, and more.
California Association of Nurseries
and Garden Centers
www.cangc.org
Click on “Education and Career” for
information and materials for teachers,
association members, and students in the
horticulture industry.
California Children’s 5 a Day—Power
Play! Campaign
www.ca5aday.com/powerplay
A statewide campaign led by the
Department of Health Services to motivate
and empower low-income 9- to 11-year-olds
to eat the recommended amount of
fruits and vegetables, and get 60 minutes
of physical activity every day.
California Department of Food and
Agriculture Fairs and Expositions
www.cdfa.ca.gov/fe • cafairs.com
Information on submitting garden artwork,
products, or other entries at your county fair.
www.cde.ca.gov
A rich assortment of resources for educators
gardening with their classrooms.
Western Growers Charitable Foundation
96 Gardens for Learning: Resources

Gardens for Learning is a comprehensive guidebook that provides a strong foundation to support the growing
school garden movement. It was developed by a team of experienced garden educators, nutritionists, state officials,
and other garden experts. This guidebook is a must-have resource for anyone looking to enhance learning
through the use of gardens in schools and other community settings. “
Gardens for Learning gets you
started. This comprehensive guide
brings together accumulated
expertise to help you plan,
develop, and make your garden an
integral part of your school plan.”
– Roberta Jaffe, Founder, Life Lab Science
Program and author of The Growing Classroom
“A garden in full view can become
the heart of the school campus, a
place of wonder, learning, trans-formation,
and a place to observe
the seasons and cycles of life.”
– Marty Fujita, Food for Thought, Ojai Unified
School District
“Gardens can bring many miracles
to children and schools. Planting
those seeds helps ensure an
abundance of growth in the
future, and Gardens for Learning
shows the way. California
educators will be amazed at the
bountiful crop of knowledge they
can grow by using this amazing
resource.”
– Susan B. Foerster, MPH, RD, Chief Cancer
Prevention and Nutrition Section, California
Department of Health Services
“What a wonderful goal it is to
have a garden in every school ...
for as we know there is a school
in every garden.”
– Secretary A.G. Kawamura, California
Department of Food and Agriculture
“This teacher-friendly resource
provides practical strategies
to develop exciting learning
laboratories at any school.
Research shows that school
gardens have the potential to
improve academic performance,
increase ecological literacy and,
when vegetables are planted,
influence students’ dietary habits.
Gardens for Learning can assist
educators in creating competent
and capable students while
addressing health education goals
of the school wellness plan.”
– Dan Desmond, UCCE Advisor Emeritus, Food
& Society Policy Fellow
Judy Huffaker
17620 Fitch Street, Irvine, CA 92614 • www.csgn.org
The California School Garden Network is a 501c(3) organization
whose members represent a variety of state agencies, private companies, educational institutions, and nonprofit organiza-tions,
all dedicated to the mission of creating and sustaining gardens in every willing school in California. The Network
serves as a central organization to distribute school garden resources and support throughout the
state. For more information about the Network and its resources for educators, visit www.csgn.org.
17620 Fitch Street, Irvine, CA 92614 • www.csgn.org
The California School Garden Network – a program of Western Growers
Foundation and a 501c(3) — is an organization whose members represent
a variety of state agencies, private companies, educational institutions, and
nonprofit organizations, all dedicated to the mission of creating and sustaining gardens in every
willing school in California. The Network serves as a central organization to distribute school
garden resources and support throughout the state. For more information about the Network and its
resources for educators, visit www.csgn.org.

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Gardens for Learning: Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden