From Seed to Snack:

Planting a Garden in Your Preschool

Rosa Romero, Master Gardener, Farm to Preschool, UEPI, Occidental College

Milli Macen-Moore, Master Gardener, Common Ground, UC Coop. Ext.

Provided by the Farm to Preschool Program

LAUP RENEW Garden Workshop– January 20, 2012

Gardening With Students:

Why Edible Gardening?

• Encourages preference and consumption

of fruits and vegetables (McAleese & Rankin, 2007)

• Increases parental support and

involvement (Alexander, North & Handren, 1995)

• Improves student enthusiasm about

school, teamwork skills and self-

understanding (Robinson & Zajicek, 2005)

Gardens: “Teachable Moments”

Connecting the Garden

to the Classroom

Science Surveys, Investigation Labs & Taste Tests/Cooking

Language & Arts

Before You Begin Planting

• Tools

• Site selection

• Choose type of garden:

– Raised beds, containers, in-ground

Tools and Safety

• Choose gardening tools – Watering can, spades, rakes,

shovels, gloves

• Teach that tools are not toys

• Garden with them

• Make sure students use child-size tools

Site Selection

• Sunlight

– Spring/Summer 6-8 hrs

– Fall/Winter 4-6 hrs

– Place garden on Southside of building

• Water

– Close to water source

Choose the type of garden that works

best for you and your site

Soil + Water + Love

= Garden

Directly in the Ground

+ Cheaper

+ Requires less watering than raised beds

– Contamination: What was there before

you? Contact Coop. Ext. for soil testing.

When in doubt, grow in containers.

Container Gardening

Pots

+ Can be moved easily

– Pots dry out quickly, need to water often

Drainage is important, make holes if needed

Terra cotta: soak pot before planting

Soil- use potting mix

Fertilizer- apply compost every 4 weeks

What to plant

Shallow rooted crops: lettuce, radishes, spinach, herbs

If pot is deeper, root crops are okay: carrots, turnips, potatoes

Containers: Using Recycled

Materials Old Kiddy Pools Wagons Tree Stump

Buckets of any kind – just remember to make drainage holes!

Recycled Materials as

Containers Bags

Barrels

Shoe Car?!?!!!

Traditional Raised Beds

+ Good drainage and prevents soil

compaction

+ Prevents weeds, a barrier to some pests

– Wood and soil can be expensive

– More water required

Creative Raised Beds

+ Recycled materials save money

+ Teaches children to think creatively

Sand Bags Bottles

Hay Bales

Creative Raised Beds

Recycled Concrete and Branches

Cinder Blocks

Wood Logs

Building a Raise Bed

• Build a raised bed between 3 x3 and 3 x 12 ft

(easier to reach across)

• Never use treated wood

• Depth and width of at least 12 inches

Raised Bed Demo

To build a basic 3’x6’ bed you’ll need:

• (4) 2”x6’ wood boards

• (4) 2”x6’ wood boards

• (4) 3”x3”x12” wood posts

• Screws

• Power Drill

If you have a gopher problem add 1 piece 3’x6’ hardware cloth to the bottom

From page 2 of the Preschool Garden Primer

“Play” with Soil Before Planting

Add Water Add air

Once beds are planted, give children

opportunities to play with soil

Plant Parts

Fruit/Seed

Leaves

Stems

Roots

Plant Selection

• Plant vegetables in season (Burpee guide)

Cold season crops (leaves and roots) kale, lettuce, carrots, beets, radishes

Warm season crops (fruits) tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini

• Annuals and Perennials

• Space: A Cabbage needs 4 sq ft.

A Head of lettuce needs 1 sq ft.

A Beet needs ¼ sq ft.

Vines can grow vertically but need support

Soil

• Feeds your plant nutrients

• Alive with worms & microorganisms

• Fill garden bed with organic soil from a nursery OR

• Mix your own soil

– equal parts compost, vermiculture & coconut coir

• Compost is the best fertilizer

– “amends” any type of soil: sandy, clay or loamy

– add compost every 4 weeks

Healthy Soil = Healthy Plants

Seed Starting

+ Cheaper than transplants

+ Know quality and variety of seed

– 4-6 weeks until ready to transplant to soil

– Not all seeds sprout

Most seeds are best to start in containers But never transplant more than 3x breakfast ~ lunch ~ dinner Some seeds are best directly in the ground

Plant seeds with children Extra seedlings can go home with parents

‘Seed starting’ is teachable moment

Transplanting

+ Transplant immediately, harvest sooner

– More expensive

– Quality and variety often unknown

How to Transplant

1. Soil is damp but not soaking

2. Gently squeeze pot to loosen seedling

Do not pull the stem

3. Gently place in hole, fill with dirt

4. Tamp down gently

5. Water

Activity: “Tickle the roots”

Watering the Top Soil

• Water the soil, Not the plant • Water before mid-morning

• Hand water with a watering can or hose

- encourages preschooler’s participation

-only waters the surface of soil

• Must use the right nozzle or will harm top roots

Not

Water Wand Spray Nozzle

Watering Deep Roots

• Deep and infrequent watering needed

• Once a week in fall/winter

• Twice a week in spring/summer

• Standard Hose

+ Less expensive

- Time consuming

- Uneven watering

- Closely monitor and move frequently

Watering Deep Roots

• Drip irrigation

+ system of applying water to soil slowly

- expensive, installation required

- often gets clogged

• Soaker hoses + tiny holes along hose to apply water to soil slowly - when under mulch, may be pierced when digging

Good vs. Bad Bugs

Beneficial Insects

Harmful Pests

Homemade Remedies for Pests

• Encourage birds with bird feeders and fountains

• Use high pressure hose or wipe leaves

• Aphids and others: Make a solution

- Soapy water with vegetable oil

- garlic or hot pepper water

(1 part to 9 parts water)

• Slugs

– Fill small low container with cheap beer

– Crumble eggshells

Companion Planting

• Interplant garlic, onions and marigolds (other

herbs) amongst edibles to repel insects

• Some plants behave well with others

– Carrots and tomatoes

– Corn, beans and squash

– Peas with lettuce

• Some plants don’t behave well with others

- Beets and Climbing Beans

- Potatoes and Tomatoes

Poisonous or Dangerous Plants

• Talk with children about what plant parts

we eat and which we do not

– Tomato, potato & eggplant leaves and stems

are poisonous

• Avoid hot chili peppers

• Avoid non-edible flowers

• Avoid or use caution with berries (thorns)

Spacing and Inter-planting

• Each vegetable needs different space to grow in

- cabbage needs 4 sq ft, a beet only ¼ sq ft

• Tall plants and vine on North and West side of garden

Inter-planting

• Save space

• Help each other grow

• Maximizes use of soil/nutrients • Different plants, means continuous harvesting

Designing Your Garden

Sample 4 x 8 Fall/Winter Garden

Harvesting

• Early in the morning

• Leafy vegetables- harvest outer leaves for

continual harvest through the season

• Pick vegetables often to promote new growth

• Harvest only what will be

eaten in next day or two

Sustaining your garden

• Garden parent committee

• Hold garden “work days”

twice a month

• Fundraisers

-Sell decorated garden stones/pots

-Sell seedlings, seeds, herbs

Resources

LA Cooperative Extension ~ Common Ground http://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/Common_Ground_Garden_Program/

www.FarmToPreschool.org

www.KidsGardening.org

Rosa Romero rromero@oxy.edu

Milli Macen-Moore milli@modern-sustainability.com

Stretch Break

Tutti Fruiti Instant recess – Dr. Yancy, UCLA

Questions?

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? ?

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Transplants & Garden Visit

Divide into two groups

• Transplanting activity

• Magnolia Place Preschool Garden Tour

Switch activities

Raffle!!