students dig it.... gardening with youth kiki fontenot, phd home, school and community gardens

Students Dig It.... Gardening with Youth

Kiki Fontenot, PhD

Home, School and Community Gardens

Benefits of Gardening

• Gain Responsibility

• Acquire new skills

• Eat healthier (try new foods)

• New learning environment

• Appreciate nature

Are School Gardens Really Making a Difference?

• Challenge youth to learn new skills

• Increase science scores

• Increase environmental stewardship

We’re Not Too Little!

Other Limits?

Don’t Push It!

Before You Start…• Principal

– Seek permission• Participating teachers

– Time restraints– Curriculum– Class information

• School Staff– Holiday schedules

• Volunteers– Sustainability

• Patrons– $$$

• STUDENTS!!!– Interest

Garden Site Selection• Space limitations

– One vs. multiple gardens

• Proximity to classroom(s)– 6-8 hrs of sunlight a day

– Water source

– Good drainage

– Room for expansion

• START SMALL …. then have a 1st…..5th year plan

Garden Design• Assign garden space to participants

• Raised beds vs. in-ground

• Theme Gardens– Pizza garden– Alphabet garden

• Multiple purpose gardens– Vegetable– Cut flower– Herb– Ornamental– Native plant

• Connecting the green space with hard-scape

Neat School Gardens

YOU CAN EVEN PLANT

A REALLY ….. small garden

Seeking Help– Students are the #1 owners and workers

– Parents

– School Staff• Janitorial• Cafeteria• Shop teacher

– Master Gardeners

– Local college faculty and students

Design Considerations– Let students design– Think about: In ground beds vs. raised

beds or container gardening– Row/ Bed widths

• Row = 3ft• Between rows 4-5ft

– Row/ Bed heights • 8-12 inches

– Seating, composting,

greenhouse areas

Soil Sample

– Take 5 to 6 shovels of soil from garden beds

– Mix in a bucket

– Select one pint of soil out

– Send to LSU Soils Lab • ($10/sample- basic analysis only)• Heavy metal analysis• http://www.stpal.lsu.edu/

Planting the Garden

– Plant and harvest crops within the school year

Maintaining the GardenFertilize

– Pre-plant fertilization– Side dressing

• Irrigate– Invest in a timer!– Drip hoses

• Weed Control– Hand pull, hoe,

cultivate

Harvest

• Have a harvest party

• Keep it simple:

– Pick, Wash, Eat

– Materials Needed: • Bowls and dressing

Connecting the Garden to the Classroom

• Use the garden as a classroom

– Reading area– Math and measurements– Science (pollination,

photosynthesis, life cycles)– Art (customize benches, borders,

signs, paintings, murals, etc.)

Reading Activities

Create a bulletin boardabout your garden

1. Read The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller

2. Have students look through garden/flower magazines and books.– Note the differences in

flowers petals, stems, and leaves

3. Create paper flowers out of construction paper to decorate the bulletin board

Science/ Art Activities

• Learn the importance of scientific and common plant names. Learn the rules in writing them

• Create permanent labels for plants in the garden

Environmental Science Activities

Geography Activities

History Activities

Internet Technology Activities

Basic Knowledge

• Plant sunflower seeds with students observe them with your five senses

FundraisingSolicit Funding

– Grants• Captain Planet Foundation• Gardenburger™• Target• Home Depot• Welch’s Grape Juice

– Personal endowments

– Fundraisers

– Donations• Local nurseries and hardware stores

School Garden Resources• Facebook

– Louisiana School Gardens Facebook Group– http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?

gid=205990085731

• LSU AgCenter– www.lsuagcenter.com– Lawn and Garden – Master Gardener – School

Gardens

• Veggie Bytes School Garden Newsletter– www.lsuagcenter.com/veggiebytes

• Steps to a Successful School Garden

• California School Garden Network– http://www.csgn.org/page.php?id=120

HAVE FUN!

EAT WELL!

Questions?Contact Kiki Fontenot, PhD

LSU AgCenter

kkfontenot@agcenter.lsu.edu