How to Start a School Garden

A school garden is a great way to engage students in nutrition, science, math, reading, social studies, and physical education, while teaching social skills and responsibility.  When most people think of a school garden, they may envision something like a small farm on the school property that has fruit trees, a large garden plot, and students working in the garden to nurture and raise pest-free, organic crops that will be consumed in the cafeteria.  Unfortunately, this is not the reality of most school gardens.  In fact, a successful school garden can be as small as a few containers, as long as there is a strong team of dedicated individuals willing to support and utilize the garden. 

Whether you are a parent, teacher, or interested community member that has a vision to start a school garden, it is okay to start small, and let the project expand as the interest and need grow over time.  Before bringing your idea to the school, be sure to consider who will use the garden and how it could be integrated into the school curriculum, so that it will have the greatest possible impact.  Be prepared for your plans to shift to meet the needs of the school and students. 

Most school gardens begin with an interested teacher, a principal, or maybe even a parent.  However, one person cannot manage a sustainable gardening program.  The key to success is a strong gardening team made up of administrators, school maintenance staff, teachers, and volunteers.  Make sure that each member of your team knows their role in the gardening program and establish an open line of communication, so that the entire team is kept up to date. 

The next step in planning a school garden is determining who will use the garden, how it will be used, and where it will be located.  For example, if the garden will be used with Pre-K and Kindergarten, it should be relatively small, at a level that students can reach it, and easy to maintain.  Children of all ages love to watch things grow, so placing a garden in a highly visible location will help to increase awareness and excitement about the garden.  Indoor gardens that use grow lights can be placed in high traffic areas, such as a cafeteria or front entrance.  Container gardens can come with wheels or can be places on stands with wheels, so they can be moved from classroom to classroom, and even outdoors.  This works well if multiple classes will be sharing a garden.  Finally, small raised beds or containers can be planted outdoors.  It is important to make sure that there is access to water and enough sunlight during the day to help the garden grow.  For more information and videos on starting a school garden, visit: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/youth-gardening