Even schools without a lot of open space can start a garden, or create an indoor windowsill garden. How to Start a Garden at School. It was in 2004 that I decided to install a garden at Charlton Manor Primary School. 5 steps to start a school garden. The American Heart Association provides garden beds, organic soil, and seeds and plants. Many times a few helpful resources can provide enough direction to get a good start. These rules are designed to help the community garden run smoothly for all. Before anything else, consider starting your own garden journal as a way to help you organize your thoughts and keep track of your Starting School Gardens School gardens can provide an environment in which students can learn to work with teachers, parents and neighborhood resident volunteers while growing plants and learning the relationship between people, plants and wildlife. Your principal can also be an important school garden advo-cate outside of your school—an ambassador to your school district and your community. Starting a school garden for children begins with forming a committee of dedicated individuals. development of your school garden, from approving and arranging teacher time for workshops, to finding and tapping outside funding sources. Whether you're planting fragrant florals or starting a vegetable garden, anyone can benefit from getting their hands a little dirty. While it might only take a single motivated educator to start a school garden, forming a committee early in the process will give your garden longevity and help prevent burnout for any one member. 5 Tips to Start a School Garden Project. Even schools without a lot of open space can start a garden, or create an indoor windowsill garden. The difference between a school garden and a school-based community garden is that community members are more than just school volunteers: They're actively engaged in the organization, planning, decision making, and day-to-day maintenance of the garden. Monterey County Farm to School Partnership Garden Building Guide (2007) 3 Garden Equipment and Supplies Pages 5-8 show the estimated costs of building materials, tools and resources, and professional development needed to start a school garden. The school garden offers a place to enrich teaching efforts with powerful hands-on experiences that make learning come alive. But how do they take root? Some precautions are: Weed well before going on holiday. To apply for a plot, please fill out the community garden application and return it to New Start High School.. New Start Community Garden P-Patch Rules. How to Grow a School Garden: A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers [Arden Bucklin-Sporer, Rachel Pringle] on Amazon.com. School gardens have grown from a rarity to a well-known concept that continues to gain traction. So how did I ultimately accomplish starting a school garden?? Lately I’ve been adding a new suggestion: Start a school garden. Organize a School Garden … A garden committee makes decisions about how a school’s garden will look, what it will be used for, and how it … Designing a garden is an ongoing process and half the fun of gardening. Starting a School Garden. If your garden projects start afresh at the beginning of each school year, you do not need to keep the garden going through the long school vacation. Ask the administration and get buy-in from teachers or other parents. Starting a school garden can appear to be a daunting task, and many of the parents and teachers I have consulted with often don’t know where to begin. Take a look around and figure out where you could start the garden. Each school or youth garden is as unique as the school or community that plants it. Our experience in helping schools begin their gardens has shown that there are a few basic components to making your garden a suc-cess. for them, tailoring gardens to fit their schools’ needs. While there are so-called "design rules," like always planting in odd numbers, there is no garden police to enforce them. If possible, talk to other educators who have successfully worked school gardens into their curriculums.