Students Dig It.... Gardening with Youth

Kiki Fontenot, PhD

Home, School and Community Gardens

Benefits of Gardening

• Gain Responsibility

• Acquire new skills

• Eat healthier (try new foods)

• New learning environment

• Appreciate nature

Are School Gardens Really Making a Difference?

• Challenge youth to learn new skills

• Increase science scores

• Increase environmental stewardship

We’re Not Too Little!

Other Limits?

Don’t Push It!

Before You Start…• Principal

– Seek permission• Participating teachers

– Time restraints– Curriculum– Class information

• School Staff– Holiday schedules

• Volunteers– Sustainability

• Patrons– $$$

• STUDENTS!!!– Interest

Garden Site Selection• Space limitations

– One vs. multiple gardens

• Proximity to classroom(s)– 6-8 hrs of sunlight a day

– Water source

– Good drainage

– Room for expansion

• START SMALL …. then have a 1st…..5th year plan

Garden Design• Assign garden space to participants

• Raised beds vs. in-ground

• Theme Gardens– Pizza garden– Alphabet garden

• Multiple purpose gardens– Vegetable– Cut flower– Herb– Ornamental– Native plant

• Connecting the green space with hard-scape

Neat School Gardens

YOU CAN EVEN PLANT

A REALLY ….. small garden

Seeking Help– Students are the #1 owners and workers

– Parents

– School Staff• Janitorial• Cafeteria• Shop teacher

– Master Gardeners

– Local college faculty and students

Design Considerations– Let students design– Think about: In ground beds vs. raised

beds or container gardening– Row/ Bed widths

• Row = 3ft• Between rows 4-5ft

– Row/ Bed heights • 8-12 inches

– Seating, composting,

greenhouse areas

Soil Sample

– Take 5 to 6 shovels of soil from garden beds

– Mix in a bucket

– Select one pint of soil out

– Send to LSU Soils Lab • ($10/sample- basic analysis only)• Heavy metal analysis• http://www.stpal.lsu.edu/

Planting the Garden

– Plant and harvest crops within the school year

Maintaining the GardenFertilize

– Pre-plant fertilization– Side dressing

• Irrigate– Invest in a timer!– Drip hoses

• Weed Control– Hand pull, hoe,

cultivate

Harvest

• Have a harvest party

• Keep it simple:

– Pick, Wash, Eat

– Materials Needed: • Bowls and dressing

Connecting the Garden to the Classroom

• Use the garden as a classroom

– Reading area– Math and measurements– Science (pollination,

photosynthesis, life cycles)– Art (customize benches, borders,

signs, paintings, murals, etc.)

Reading Activities

Create a bulletin boardabout your garden

1. Read The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller

2. Have students look through garden/flower magazines and books.– Note the differences in

flowers petals, stems, and leaves

3. Create paper flowers out of construction paper to decorate the bulletin board

Science/ Art Activities

• Learn the importance of scientific and common plant names. Learn the rules in writing them

• Create permanent labels for plants in the garden

Environmental Science Activities

Geography Activities

History Activities

Internet Technology Activities

Basic Knowledge

• Plant sunflower seeds with students observe them with your five senses

FundraisingSolicit Funding

– Grants• Captain Planet Foundation• Gardenburger™• Target• Home Depot• Welch’s Grape Juice

– Personal endowments

– Fundraisers

– Donations• Local nurseries and hardware stores

School Garden Resources• Facebook

– Louisiana School Gardens Facebook Group– http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?

gid=205990085731

• LSU AgCenter– www.lsuagcenter.com– Lawn and Garden – Master Gardener – School

Gardens

• Veggie Bytes School Garden Newsletter– www.lsuagcenter.com/veggiebytes

• Steps to a Successful School Garden

• California School Garden Network– http://www.csgn.org/page.php?id=120

HAVE FUN!

EAT WELL!

Questions?Contact Kiki Fontenot, PhD

LSU AgCenter

kkfontenot@agcenter.lsu.edu