Water is an essential component of any garden. Attention to its use in a school garden offers opportunities for stewardship, education and fun. This brief provides an overview of how water conservation and education can be integrated into school gardens. It includes types of irrigation systems for your garden, strategies for water conservation, water education activities for the classroom and the garden, ideas for making water FUN, and links to relevant resources. Download Brief »
Indoor Gardening At School
Every fall, we put the garden to bed and wait out the long Wisconsin winter for spring to return. Creating a garden indoors is a wonderful way to continue hands-on, garden-based learning while the snow flies, and often gives students a chance to take a closer look at what’s happening with their plants. This brief gives an overview of some of the indoor gardening options available to schools, and resources for how to create them. Download Brief »
Troy Farm Soil Mix
This recipe works well, and is much cheaper than buying bagged potting soil if you are planning to start more than a few trays of seeds. You can also turn this into a great lesson about sustainability by discussing the benefits and drawbacks of different ingredients – i.e. peat makes wonderful soil mix, but what is the environmental impact? Is there a better alternative? For a great lesson about plant nutrients, minerals, and/or compost, try making your own seed-starting soil mix. View Resource »
Compost Lesson Guide
This spreadsheet lists over thirty compost-related lessons for use in the classroom or garden. Each is categorized by grade level, and includes a short description and link to view the full lesson. Compiled by Community GroundWorks. View Resource »
Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden
Life Lab has put together these helpful video lessons on creating and sustaining school gardens, covering topics like garden themes, composting, weeds, and irrigation. View Resource »
