DESIGN GARDEN FACT SHEET

INTRODUCTORY GARDEN DESIGNEstablising a vegetable garden can be a wonderful way for you and your students to explore different perspectives of design – for usability, for the grouping of plants and rotating of crops, to maximise benefits to plants, and of course for creativity and fun! There are many different ways to grow food but common techniques include the use of in-ground beds, raised beds and container gardens. You might like to try a combination of techniques to see what suits different sites and plants.

Choosing a site

When choosing a site for your garden, you need to consider the basic requirements of all plants – sunshine, wind, water, and good soil.

All plants require sunlight for photosynthesis. Some like more sun than others, but you should try for a north-facing site with direct sunlight for around eight hours a day in summer. Remember that the sun will follow a lower trajectory in winter, and be aware of existing trees, fences and buildings which will shade your gardens. Shade can be useful in a garden, but it can often be easier to create shade than eliminate it. Existing structures such as brick walls or steel fences can absorb and radiate heat, which can help ripen fruits in summer or protect tender plants from frost in winter.

Wind is another consideration – if you choose an exposed site you may need to take steps to provide shelter from prevailing winds.

You will need access to a water supply, so think about how far away the nearest taps are, or perhaps choose somewhere near a roof you can collect rainwater off.

Consider the quality of existing soil, and how much might need to be done to improve it. Gardens do well in rich, friable soil with good drainage. If you are unsure of the history of your school site (or know or suspect it may have been used for industrial purposes), you might like to have the soil tested for chemical contaminants to confirm that it is safe to gorw food in.

Other considerations for siting your garden might include proximity to classrooms and toilets, tool sheds, and importantly for Garden to Table schools, your kitchen. Sloping ground can be gardened, but flat spaces are generally safer for children. Consider, too, where children play at lunchtime and the potential for damage to your garden.

TIP

You may be able to reclaim some gardens at your school that are under-utilized or have become overgrown. Ask your school community to come together for a working bee on the weekend to tidy up the gardens and then re-plant them as edible gardens.

In-Ground Gardens

Any existing area of soil, such as the corner of a playing field, can be dug over and converted to garden beds. If you have plenty of time, you could use a layer of recycled cardboard boxes, weedmat or black polythene plastic to smother any grass and weeds for a month or two, although they will probably leave seeds in the ground and still need vigilant weeding for a few years (“One year’s seeds, seven years’ weeds” is a famous old saying). Dig over the soil throughly, breaking up big lumps and aerating the soil well. If your soil is heavy clay, consider digging in plenty of organic material like compost, manure,

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Design Garden Fact Sheet

grass clippings and shredded leaves, commerical garden products like gypsum and lime, or coarse sand as you go in order to improve the soil structure, drainage and aeration. Add compost, sheep pellets or blood and bone to feed the soil once the heavy digging is done.

Make sure your garden beds and paths are well distinguished using edging materials – untreated wood, bricks, rocks etc., or commerical edging products from a garden or hardware store – and perhaps line your paths with woodchip, gravel or limestone. This will prevent people treading on and compacting the soil in your garden beds.

Raised Beds

An alternative method is to build raised beds on existing soil (overcoming any problems with the existing soil), or on concrete where bare earth is unavailable. Commonly used materials include rot-resistant untreated timber, rust-resistant steel or bricks. While some materials like macrocarpa wood are fairly water resistant, it may pay to line them with heavy duty polythene plastic to lengthen the life of your beds.

Raised beds present a number of advantages and disadvantages when compared to in-ground gardens:

Advantages Disadvantages

No digging required! Expensive to build and fill

Can be filled with high quality soil to provide a great start for your garden

Dry out quickly/require more watering

Clear, tidy beds and paths May need replacing in future

Easier to reach into

Can cater to people with limited mobility (eg. in wheelchairs)

Soil warms up quickly

Sizes and ShapesWhether planning in-ground or raised garden beds, consider practical widths for both your garden beds and paths. Garden beds should be no more than twice the width of children’s reach, so they can be worked on from both sides without the need for treading on the soil. One metre to 120 cm wide gardens work well. Paths should be wide enough for people carrying tools or buckets to pass one another, or to accomodate a wheelbarrow.

Garden beds are often rectangular in shape, but you could explore more natural shapes (particularly with in-ground beds) incorporating curves, undulating edges, circles, spirals and “keyholes”. Try searching “vegetable garden design” on Google images or Pinterest for inspiration.

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Container Gardens

Many plants can also be grown successfully in containers, which share the advantages and disadvantages of raised beds, but due to their smaller size can be more easily relocated if the need ever arises. Container gardening is a great way to practise upcycling of household objects like buckets, barrels and bathtubs. Containers should be of appropriate size with adequate room for plants’ roots to grow to full size, and have good drainage which may require drilling holes and using a base layer of gravel, pebbles, broken crockery or tiles beneath the soil to allow excess water to drain away from the plant roots.

Garden Layout

When designing your garden consider how you will provide for the different needs of plants – direct sun, shade, water etc. You will likely require some beds for annual crops and others for perennial (permanent) vegetables like rhubarb and asparagus as well as herbs and fruit trees. Annual beds can be named, numbered or colour-coded to assist with garden management and planning of succession planting, crop rotation and other good gardening practices. A dedicated flower garden can help bring pollinators and other beneficial insects into your garden.

Whether you start big or small, in ground above the ground or in containers, your school garden will soon become a place of great fun and learning, and a lovely green space for your community to gather.

Design Garden Fact Sheet