By Lily McNulty, Wylde Center Education Intern & Graduate Research Assistant at Rollins School of Public Health
On April 13th, the Wylde Center Education team presented the fifth webinar in the Morning School Garden Series about caring for your school garden.
This is a topic that varies depending on what is planted in your garden. This will give you an overview of the basics. Caring for your school garden falls into a few categories:
Soil Health
Soil health plays a huge role in the quality and quantity of what you can grow. Over time, soil health tends to deteriorate. A loam (dark, organic matter) soil is the best, but it might look more like silt or sand sometimes. Adding organic matter is what adds nutrients to your soil, like compost or mulch. Mulch also helps to retain water in the soil. These can be added at any point in the season.
Following a seasonal planting calendar
When caring for school or personal gardens, a planting calendar can help you plant all year round. In-season seeds can be found when using a planting calendar. Succession planting (or continuously planting seeds) can be used to stretch out the amount of time that you’re planting your crops – this results in multiple harvests and expands the number of students that can benefit from the garden. And, of course, a full garden is a happy garden. Atlanta is in zone 7B, but following the guidelines set forth by a calendar are a guide, not a rulebook.
Below are some recommended plants and their seasons for school gardens:
Spring: radishes, carrot, peas, lettuce, cilantro, parsley, potatoes
Summer: cherry tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, squash, green beans, sunflowers, zinnias, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, marigolds
Fall/Winter: kale, collards, spinach, garlic, lettuce, carrots, radishes
Pruning
Pruning can be a weekly activity, just by taking a ten-minute break to browse your garden and see what it needs. Pruning is used for overgrowth, but also helps to take the stress off of a plant. We want to preserve the energy of the plant for growing, not repairing yellowing or browning leaves.
You can use garden shears or scissors to cut off leaves, branches, or flowers that are yellow or brown. Usually, avoid taking off more than a third of the plant at a time.
It is great for the soil if you “chop and drop”- this means pruning leaves and letting them fall, adding organic matter back into the soil.
Weeding
The more time you spend in your garden, the more you will know what a weed is and what is not a weed. Weeds compete for water and nutrients and should be pulled out if it threatens the health of the other crops. But don’t worry about weeds too much – it’s okay to have a couple.
Watering
Watering can be a stressful task, since it needs to be done consistently. For school gardens, you can water a couple times a week – if it rains, that counts as watering (half inch of rain recommended to count as full watering). Here are some useful watering tips:
- Water at the root to avoid damaging the leaves
- Best to water in the morning or at dusk
- Water 2-4 times per week, depending on heat
- Mulching helps keep moisture in
- If water is pooling or not absorbing, you likely have too much clay in the soil (this is a good time to add compost).
There are some great ways to involve students in the watering process. The goal is to slow down the watering process to let everyone participate, and not over-water the garden:
- Using large sponges and water buckets to squeeze water over plants
- Cups with holes in the bottom to work as a mini watering can
- Spray bottles
Who will maintain the garden?
Figuring out who will maintain the school garden is an essential component of maintenance. Here are some ideas:
- Choose a staff member to be the Garden Liaison
- Parent volunteers at student pick up or drop off
- Community volunteers
- Classes assigned to specific beds
- Create a garden committee
- Season garden workdays (spring, summer, fall)
Here are some resources to help you out:
- CompostNow Garden Partner
- Cumin Landscape Supply: “Soil/Compost mix”
- KidsGardening Lesson Plans
- Wylde Center Monthly Webinar Series
- UGA Extension
- Georgia Organics Farm to School
- YouTube “How to grow” or “how to harvest” specific vegetables
- Wylde Center Plant Sale – 50% off
- Georgia Department of Education Harvest of the Month Calendar