With permission, FoodCorps has adapted this infor- Setting Your Goals mation from Life Lab, www.lifelab.org, and the Establishing a Common Vision Collaborative School Garden Network: www.csgn.org. Before building a garden, it is important to recognize that require a long-term commitment. Gather School Gardens: Getting Started the people interested in developing or maintaining a As a FoodCorps service member, you will be working garden, and ask yourselves the following: What, ulti- with your school community to support school gar- mately, do we want this garden to be? What is its pur- dens. This may mean building a garden from scratch or pose? How will it connect to the goals of FoodCorps, maintaining or enhancing an existing garden. The tips the school, the students and families, etc.? How will in this section will help you in this effort while you’re students and staff use and care for it? What will it at your school and help you plan for a garden that will look like at the end of this year? What will it look like thrive even after your service term has ended. in three to five years? How will we get there?

School gardens have succeeded in all kinds of places— Dream Big; Start Small in both cold and warm climates and in urban, subur- ban, and rural communities. School gardens exist in It is ideal to start with a vision that excites all schools with no bare ground and in schools with acres stakeholders and is also manageable for you as a of land. Schools of all types have adapted strategies FoodCorps service member and for any other people that work for them, tailoring gardens to fit their needs. involved. Although you may have visions of a mini- The crucial ingredient is a core of passionate people farm or a greenhouse, the best way to realize your invested in seeing the garden succeed over time. dreams may be to start with a single garden bed and a compost bin. Remember, a tremendous amount of learning and discovery can happen with just a few Building a Garden Team seeds, a , and small patch of earth. Teamwork is essential to a thriving school garden program. Consider involving the following people in your garden support efforts: teachers, parents, com- Choosing a Site for a New Garden munity members, local businesses, and—of course— Thriving school gardens come in all shapes and sizes, the students themselves! See the “Key Relationships from a planter box outside the classroom to a sprawl- in FoodCorps Service” section of this guide for tips ing mini-farm overtaking the corner of a field. A dedi- on connecting with these key players. cated team can transform almost any site, from a dirt parking lot to a school courtyard, into a flourishing school garden. Whether large or small, here are a few things to consider when choosing your garden site:

Copyright © 2019 FoodCorps 103 • Sunlight: Most vegetables, herbs, and flowers need gardens that aren’t in a central, visible location. a minimum of six hours of full sun. Check possible • Security: If possible, it can be useful to locate garden sites for sun exposure at different times of your garden in sight of classrooms and neighbors. the day, and take note of objects (such as buildings Fences and natural borders of plants, if they don’t or trees) that might block light in different seasons obstruct visibility and hide intruders, can also when the sun is lower or higher in the sky. If you provide security. Make use of existing fences, trees, decide to include shady spots in your garden, you and hedges in selecting your site. can use them for shade gardens, wildlife habitats, or teaching areas for hot, sunny days. • Water: The garden should be close to a water spigot. Designing a School Garden • Drainage: Both slope and soil type affect drain- Once you have selected the garden site, it’s time to age. Avoid steep slopes. If that’s not possible, design the garden itself. You can organize your garden in consider terracing or raised beds. Also, try to a variety of ways. Many school gardens have individual avoid planting a garden in a low spot where pud- beds for each class to plan, plant, care for, and harvest dles form in wet weather. together as well as communal areas (such as a pump- • Soil: If you are building in a space that has been kin patch) for the entire school to develop together. In developed in the past, it is essential to test the addition to planting areas, many school gardens include soil for lead contamination. Soil naturally contains sinks, tables, gathering areas, and other components. low levels of lead, but exposure to paint or other building materials predating 1978, or exposure to runoff from roads or parking lots, can increase lead Involving Students and Community to harmful levels. To be safe, it’s best to test any As a FoodCorps service member, you can facilitate a potential school garden site. Contact your county team of students and community members in design- health department or Cooperative Extension office ing the garden together. This approach maximizes for information on testing. If your soil is toxic, it will student ownership and buy-in and ensures that the be important to keep the entire garden in contain- garden reflects their ideas and perspectives. Many ers, where the toxins from the ground cannot leach schools encourage each class to design their own into the garden soil. It’s also a good idea to test vision of the garden, and pick the best elements of your soil for nutrient content, pH, and texture (sand, each for the final plan. silt, and clay content). You can buy a do-it-your- self soil test kit at a garden center, or contact your When planning your site, be sure to seek out parents local Cooperative Extension office for information or other community members who will lend their on where you can send your soil for testing. This expertise to your projects. Among them you may find information will help later in determining what, if a local garden supply store owner or garden club any, amendments you should add when preparing member who will volunteer to assist you in laying out to plant. Local County Master Gardeners are a great the garden plan. You may also find a parent who is an resource for helping new gardeners figure this out. irrigation expert willing to make suggestions about • Accessibility: Generally, if your garden is a short the garden’s water needs and systems or a carpenter walk from the classroom, there will be more teacher who can help you build a . involvement than if the site is a long trek across the school grounds. A garden close to the classroom makes it more convenient, more visible, and easier to incorporate into the curriculum on a regular basis. For the early grades, garden beds or planter boxes right outside the classroom work especially well. “Out of sight, out of mind” can apply to

104 Copyright © 2019 FoodCorps Garden Components

Possible School Garden Elements garden as an outdoor learning center, announce times the garden is open, and provide rules and FOutdoor class meeting area: Designate a shaded guidelines for using the space. Ask students to area with adequate seating for class discussion, design the logo or drawing that will appear on their writing, and drawing. An area with deciduous trees sign. Let a student construction committee make the works well—in winter, you have light and warmth; in sign. In addition to the overall garden sign, have your summer, you have shade! students design a sign for their class bed. FSmall group gathering areas: If possible, leave some FWork tables: Tables are essential for many garden spaces open in the garden so that you have room lessons and projects. for students to gather in small groups at activity stations. Other Elements You Might Include FBed(s) for each classroom: Make beds no more than three feet wide so students can reach into the center FFood-prep area: An outdoor table or counter and of the bed and work without stepping on the plants sink can make it much easier to harvest, wash, prep, and compacting the soil. and enjoy foods together in the garden. If power FCommunity growing area for schoolwide projects is available, you can add blenders and other appli- or plantings: These can include a cut-flower grow- ances. If possible, you can also add a gas stove for ing area, herb garden, , and specialty cooking on site. areas such as a pumpkin patch or plantings that FGreenhouse or cold frame: A greenhouse or cold attract butterflies and birds. frame is a protected place for starting seedlings in a FCompost area: Composting is a great way to turn controlled environment and helps extend the grow- garden waste into valuable soil amendments and ing season, particularly in cold climates. You can also teach about decomposition. If possible, set aside an set up an indoor growing area in your classroom. area for collecting compost materials and building FTheme beds: Theme beds can include all the ingre- compost piles. You can never have too much of this dients for a recipe (e.g., a salad bed, salsa bed, or important garden ingredient. pizza bed), or they can contain plants that have FTool shed or storage area: A tool shed or storage something in common, such as a bed of butterfly area provides a central location where you can clean, attracting plants or a bed for tea plants. Specifically, organize, and protect and equipment. If you nutrition-themed beds could include an Eat-the- plan to build a shed or other structure on your site, Rainbow bed or a MyPlate. be sure to consult whoever in your district oversees FAnimal habitats: Including elements such as bird building for information about any building codes baths, bird houses, native shrubs, trees, or a pond relevant to your plan. Make sure all projects meet fire can welcome beneficial wildlife to your garden as and electrical safety code requirements. well as provide an opportunity for your students to FSink(s): A sink in the garden makes washing hands observe ecological interactions. and produce much easier. Make sure the water FElements of whimsy and play: Students easily con- is potable (drinkable). Some school gardens use nect with a garden that includes unique and kid-cen- an old donated sink and build a stand for it with tered elements such as animal footprints in a cement two-by-fours with a drainage pipe running under path, wind chimes, suncatchers, a tunnel covered in the nearest tree. vines, a special spot reserved for digging, or a tree FGarden signs: No matter what size your garden is, with musical instruments hanging from its branches. make a sign to give it an identity within the school and neighborhood. Signs help identify your school

Copyright © 2019 FoodCorps 105 Container Gardens Consult a manual such as the National Association’s GrowLab: A Complete Guide to Outdoor Container Gardens Gardening in the Classroom for detailed infor- mation and design ideas, or visit its website at If your school doesn’t have a large, unpaved space https://www.gardeners.com/buy/growlab-activ- for a garden, you can create a productive outdoor ities/8593682.html for information on premade garden using containers filled with soil. These con- indoor garden setups. tainer gardens can provide herbs, vegetables, and flowers for your students all year long and can be Delivering enough light to your plants is the pri- set up over pavement or soil. mary consideration in designing an indoor garden. Most windowsills don’t receive enough light to A wide variety of containers can be used, including grow vegetables but may be able to successfully fruit crates, wine barrels, cement blocks, buckets, grow a variety of houseplants. If you want to grow trash cans, old baskets, bathtubs, coolers, wheel- vegetables, flowers, or herbs, hang fluorescent barrows, and even old boots! You can brainstorm lights over your indoor garden. possibilities and gather supplies with your stu- dents and community members. Here’s a note about tires: Tires are a popular type of container Outdoor Safety for growing flowers but should not be used to If you are working outdoors in the sun and in warm grow food because they can leach harmful chemi- temperatures, keep the following in mind: cals into the soil. 3 Students should wear sunscreen and sunglasses. If the containers you’re using have solid bases, 3 Ensure students have sun protection like hats punch or drill holes in the bottom for drainage. Fill with brims. containers with a light planting mix rather than 3 Light colored clothing will help repel the sun. soil. You can purchase planting mix at garden cen- 3 Make sure students have regular access to water. ters or make your own by combining equal parts 3 Allow students to regularly rest in the shade. sterilized loam soil; peat moss; and coarse sand, 3 Monitor students for signs of heat-stroke or perlite, or vermiculite. exhaustion: fatigue, weakness, irritability, sweating, or fever. Choose your plants carefully. Consider small plant varieties that are suited to containers. Think about If you are working with students in cold tem- how big the mature plants will be when deciding peratures, be sure that they have plenty of warm how many to plant per container. Large plants, such layers, proper insulated or waterproof footwear, a tomatoes or squash, should be grown in contain- and a warm hat or rain gear. Allow students to go ers that hold over 4 gallons of soil. Small containers inside if they are cold, with adult supervision and a are suitable for shallow-rooted crops such as let- preplanned backup activity tuce, spinach, onions, strawberries, and herbs.

Indoor Container Gardens General Garden Safety • Become familiar with poisonous plants, insects, If space issues or climate make it impossible to and animals in your area. Monitor for these in set up an outdoor garden, consider garden- the garden, and remove them when necessary. ing in the classroom. An indoor garden has the • Keep an eye out for fungus, mold, or dust that advantage of being accessible to students even can irritate students with allergies or asthma when time is short or weather is uncooperative. and remove these when necessary.

106 Copyright © 2019 FoodCorps • If you plan to use manure to amend your soil, pur- • Tools like digging forks: Demonstrate how to lift chase only manure that has been sterilized or fully the tines of the digging fork to the top of the composted (not just “aged”). Manure can contain pile that has been dug, but no higher, empha- E. coli or other disease-causing pathogens if it sizing that these tines are hard and sharp and hasn’t been sterilized or fully composted. belong far away from our heads, faces, etc. • Ensure students wash their hands after handling • Hammers: If students are using tools like a ham- compost, worms, other animals, soil, or the like. mer, emphasize that this tool is heavy and that it’s • Check with the grounds and maintenance staff important to remain focused on the object being to see if any pesticides or nonorganic fertiliz- hammered. Demonstrate how to hold the tool ers are used on the school grounds. If so, find with both hands to avoid hammering fingers. out what they are, and check for “Keep out of • Tool storage: Always be sure that your tools reach of children” labels. Students should not be are stored in a secure location. This will prevent allowed in areas where these have been applied. them from disappearing or from being used • Monitor the garden for signs of pests, like inappropriately. rodents, or pets that may visit unobserved. These animals can leave unwanted waste behind. It is best to have students wear protective • Be aware of the water quality you are using to equipment. rinse produce and clean children’s hands. • Don’t use treated lumber, granite, or rubber 3 Wear clear safety glasses (or sunglasses) on proj- tires for raised garden-bed borders because ects where eyes need protection. they often contain toxins that are dangerous for 3 Wear covered shoes while working in the garden. human ingestion or contact. 3 A dust mask should be on hand for use during potentially dusty jobs, such as turning compost. Have water on hand to flush eyes, if necessary. Gardening Tool Safety 3 If possible, have sturdy work gloves available for Before students use any , whether it’s a use with tools such as and rakes. , , or , demonstrate how to use your arms to make sure you are at least one arm’s length away from all other people when using the tool. Harvesting Safety Before students harvest any plants for eating, be • Tools with sharp ends: Demonstrate how to hold sure to instruct them in how to identify the plant, the tool by the handle with the sharp end down, and emphasize that they only harvest plants that ensure that the sharp end is far from your toes, they can identify. If they aren’t sure what the plant and then push the sharp end into a green plant looks like, they should check with an adult first. to chop it up to show the sharpness of the tool. Always ensure that students are eating a plant For tools like hand shears, demonstrate how to that can be identified as edible (and not a weed unlock and lock the shears. Also model how to that snuck into the garden, which can potentially hold only the handles and keep both hands (as be poisonous). Also be sure to check that students well as all parts of your body!) away from the are eating the part of the plant that is supposed sharp parts at all times. Also model how to keep to be eaten (e.g., the rhubarb stalk is edible, but your eyes on the area where you’re working. This rhubarb leaves are poisonous). Have students wash will help you avoid accidentally hitting some- their hands before harvesting and collect items in one’s hand with your or flinging soil into a clean container. anyone’s eyes.

Copyright © 2019 FoodCorps 107 SOURCING EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES A local garden supply business or a local charita- ble organization may donate tools. Many schools Basic Garden Tools and Supplies have found garden tools at local flea markets and F garage sales; one school placed a small notice in its local paper and was given the contents of a barn F long-handled shovels full of equipment. Other schools have had success F digging forks using tools such as Freecycle, a network connecting F hoes people who have a need with people who have an item to give away. Visit www.freecycle.org/ to find a F rakes Freecycle group in your area. You can also consider F buckets borrowing or renting items you will only need once, such as a rototiller or a . F

F hand rakes Lumber and Other Building Supplies F hula hoes You can approach a local lumber company about pro- F clippers viding materials or offering a discount on materials F for fencing, raised beds, or a tool shed; a parent may have the skills needed to design these elements and/ F or lead a volunteer work party in construction. F watering cans Seeds and Plants F hoses/nozzles F other irrigation supplies Seeds are an ongoing need for a school garden. Many seed companies are happy to give away expired seeds to F scissors school gardens, and most seeds are still viable the year F sharp knife after they expire. Some are viable for many years. You F tool cleaning brushes could initiate a letter-writing campaign with your stu- dents to contact seed companies requesting donations. F clipboards F plant labels Sometimes you will want to acquire plants for your garden instead of sowing seeds yourself. Home F twine gardeners in the area may be delighted to pass on F stakes divisions of their perennials; garden centers may be willing to donate seedlings. F gopher wire and/or gopher baskets

F gloves (child and adult sizes) Compost

Check with your local waste management department; The quantity of each sort of gardening tool you buy will where green waste is collected, it is often composted depend on your budget and the scale of your program. and distributed for free or at a low cost. Mulch, in the Quality tools, even though they cost a little more, will form of wood chips, may also be available. hold up under the wear and tear youngsters often give them. If possible, acquire child-size tools, along with full- size tools for teachers and parents to use.

108 Copyright © 2019 FoodCorps