School Garden Best

practices

What is the vision for Farm to School?

• Access to healthy local foods, gardening opportunities, and food-based activities to enhance the quality of the educational experience is the “new normal” in early care and education

• All education providers, regardless of geographic location, type of program or socioeconomic status, have sufficient information, resources and support and are empowered to successfully implement farm to school and education initiatives

• A wide variety of stakeholders from diverse sectors are engaged in collaborative efforts to expand access to healthy, local, foods and high quality educational experiences for children

• Why Farm to School? Kids win, farmers win, communities win!*National Farm to School Network 2017

How to get started?• Bring a school garden planning team together• Fundraise!• Build a school garden

*National Farm to School Network 2017; Jersey Fresh Farm to School

• Healthy recipe contest using Jersey Fresh fruits and veggies• Identify menu items that you would like to transition to local products• Bring a chef or farmer into the classroom• Taste test new foods in the cafeteria during lunchtime• Plan a farm field trip

Other ways to build A Farm to School Culture

The mission of the School Grounds is to provide outdoor garden classrooms, teacher training, and on-going support for partner schools in New Jersey, with a focus on at-risk urban communities, to enhance academic achievement across

disciplines, as well as ensure student interaction with the natural world, access to hands-on experimental learning, and an understanding of where food comes from.

Collaborating teachers gain the curriculum, resources, knowledge, and enthusiasm to use this outdoor classroom to foster a farm to school culture that values and celebrates garden education as an integral part of developing the whole child.

City Green’s School Grounds Mission

School gardens are a tool!• School gardens serve as a tool and teaching asset to enhance your lesson plans

with hands on activities and nature based discussions• Use your garden program in conjunction with any of the subjects you teach,

including math, reading, art, science, nutrition, etc.• Gardens should be fun and enjoyable for both students AND teachers

Raised Bed Gardening

• Eliminates the need for soil testing

• Warms up earlier in the spring to allow for early planting

• Improves drainage

• Defines the garden space

• Allow for gardening on non-soil surfaces!

Healthy Soil Raised beds are a great opportunity to make sure the garden is full of healthy rich

soil. Make sure to purchase organic varieties that are safe to grow food in!

Soil Amendmen

ts

To give your plants an extra nutritional boost before the growing season, fertilize with a commercially available organic fertilizer.

CropRotation

Compost½

Brown½

Green

*DO NOT* add any animal products including: dairy, meat, bones, diseased plants, fish, feces

Dried leavesStraw

Corn stalksNewspaper

Pine needlesCardboard

Twigs

Veggie scrapsFruit scrapsPlant trimmings (avoid weeds)EggshellsCoffee groundsGrass (untreated)

Trowel

Scuffle hoe

Spading fork

Foam mats

Watering can

Bucket

Utility tub

Hose and nozzle

Hand pruner

Garden Tools

Water whenever the soil becomes dry. In the summer, it is often best to water in the morning or evening to avoid rapid evaporation. Provide enough water so that soil in the

beds is saturated, but not puddling.Spring/Fall: Water at least 2 days a weekSummer: Water at least 3 days a week

Watering

Weeds can hinder the growth of the intentional plants in your garden by stealing the nutrition and water from the soil. Controlling the weeds will help your crops grow better, and make your garden look neater:

Mulch: a layer of organic material, placed on top of the soil will help retain moisture and prevent sunlight from reaching the weeds. Straw is the best choice.

By hand: you can bring your students out once or more a week and there will always be weeds to pull, especially in the warmer months.

Tools: many tools exist to help make weeding easier, such as long-handled hula hoes and hand hoes.

Weeds

Seeds

Planting seeds is an excellent way to show your students the life cycle of

plants from start to finish. Seeds also provide an affordable way to plant

out your entire garden. Link the indoor classroom to the

outdoor garden classroom by starting seeds inside and

transplanting into your garden space!

Some varieties can be directly seeded outside, be sure to check the

seed packet!

1 2

3 4

Transplanting1

2 3

4

5

ANNUALS PerennialsVegetables/Fruits

TomatoesLettuceCarrots

CucumbersCorn

WatermelonPumpkins

HerbsBasil

CilantroChamomile

Dill

FlowersNasturtium (edible)

MarigoldsSunflowers

Zinnia

Vegetables/FruitsAsparagusRhubarb

HorseradishStrawberries

Black/RaspberriesApples

HerbsMint

ChivesRosemary

Sage

FlowersBee BalmEchinacea

Black Eyed Susan

The Hardiness Zone describes what can grow in that location and at what times of the year given the climate. Checking the back of a plants seed packet will indicate when it is safe to plant that variety in your location so

that the plant can grow strong and healthy.Using “warm weather” and ”cold weather” terminology when planting crops will help you plant when

seasonally appropriate. Cold weather crops can survive and grow when a frost is possible, and warm weather crops grow best when there is no danger of frost.

*The frost date in NJ is May 15th*

Hardiness Zone

Vegetables that are hardy enough to grow in the spring and late fall and can

survive the frost.

These varieties are great options for school gardens because these crops will grow and be able to be harvested during

the times of year when school is in session.

Hardy Vegetables(25ºF-28ºF)

Semi-Hardy Vegetables (29ºF-

32ºF)Broccoli Beets

Cabbage Carrots

Kale and Collards Cauliflower

Parsley Celery

Peas Lettuce/Salad Greens

Radish Onion

Spinach Radicchio

Turnip Swiss Chard

Cool Weather Crops

These veggies grow well in the heat, and cannot survive a frost. Be sure to plant these

varieties after the last frost.

*Remember May 15th is the frost date in NJ*

These varieties are most successful when planting established plants. Plan on starting these seeds in the classroom, or visiting the

local garden or hardware store for plants.

Warm Weather Crops Tomatoes Corn

Eggplant Squash

Beans Zucchini

Peppers Potatoes

Cucumbers Tomatillo

Vegetables

HerbsBasil LavenderFennel RosemaryMint Thyme

Oregano Tarragon

Fruit Trees

RaspberriesStrawberriesPlant in the garden space or in a

container. Strawberries will return each year!

Plant these bushes into the ground or container. Always look for

thornless varieties.

Dwarf size apple or stone fruit trees can be planted in the ground or

planter boxes

New Jersey’s growing season generally runs from April until late November. However, if you want to be able to grow more vegetables starting earlier or going later, you have options! You can extend the

season using simple, easily available materials. With the help of season extension, it is possible to grow cold weather vegetables like lettuce, carrots,

beets, radishes, spinach, arugula, kale and even chard in the coldest months of the year.

Season Extension

Row Cover Cold Frame

Hoop House

Spring• Turn over and amend the soil• Early spring - plant cold weather crops (March/April)• Water 2+ times a week• Harvest cold weather crops as they are ready• Late spring - plant warm weather crops and

flowers/herbs after the last frost (May 15). This can happen be done while you are continually harvesting cold weather crops

Summer• Harvest cold weather crops (May/June)• Care for and harvest warm weather crops as

soon as they are ready• Water 3+ times a week• Plant cold weather crops. This can happen

while you are continually harvesting warm weather crops (August/September)

Fall• Remove summer growth and warm weather crops

(Sept/Oct)• Harvest cold weather crops (October/November)• Water 2+ times a week• Use season extenders to lengthen the growing

season (cold frames, hoop house, and row covers)

Winter• Clear raised beds of all non-perennial plants• Rake soil until smooth and level, plant a cover crop,

winter rye is a great choice (Nov)• Inventory and store garden tools and supplies• Work on your plan and schedule for next year’s

growing season

BEFOREHAND: How you prepare your students to go into the garden

DURING: How you interact with your students and allow them to explore

AFTER: How you interact with your students and reflect with them after garden time

Behavior Management in the Garden

1. Gather extra support if needed for garden time (volunteers, parents, administrative staff).

2. Prepare your students days in advance that they will be going into the garden. Make sure they understand this is an exciting opportunity but also a privilege.

3. Practice pretend garden chores in your classroom.

4. Establish calls or hand-clapping sounds for gathering attention in the garden.

5. Design repetitive protocols for garden time, and when students follow protocols, reward them with praise and little treats like stickers.

6. Plan back-up lessons! Be prepared for inclement weather.

Beforehand

1. Always have drinking water, sunscreen and a first aid kit ready.

1. Always enter the garden in a straight orderly line, and review the garden rules each time you visit.

2. Utilize a garden session routine.3. Divide students into smaller groups for hands-on activities.

4. Make sure every student has a clear task. Idle hands can lead to behavioral problems.

5. Use teaching circles when possible. It allows you to see all students at one time. It also allows everyone

to more easily participate without anyone being left out.

6. Keep it short when the students are first learning how to behave in the garden. An outdoor experience

can be only ten minutes, just long enough to accomplish one short task.

Go out to the garden often. The more you go out, the easier it gets.

During

1. Leave time to reflect on how it was to go out in the garden. Ask what students’ favorite aspect was. Review the learning objectives just learned.

2. Hang or post pictures, artwork, and projects completed outdoors in the classroom to reinforce the connectedness between the two spaces. Celebrate your classes garden experience!

3. Talk frequently about what you last did in the garden to reinforce the learning that took place.

4. Talk about what will happen the next time you go to the garden.

After

Garden to Curriculum Connections

• 5 volunteers• 5 school subjects • Language arts/English• Math • Science• Social studies/History• Art

• Brainstorm connections to garden

Garden to Curriculum Game!

Jenny Schrum, Director of Youth Programming: jschrum@city-green.orgAbbey Daniel, Youth Programming Coordinator: adaniel@city-green.org

City Green: 171 Grove Street, Clifton, NJ 07013973-869-4086

Questions?