Choosing a School Garden Site

Backgrounder

Planting a school garden is an excellent way for children to learn many important lessons. As the children are planning the garden, they will learn about the connections between agriculture, the food chain and the environment. While working with soil and plants, students will learn about the biology of plants and microorganisms. To know where and when to grow crops they will need to study the climate of their area which can be part of their geography studies. Doing research and projects will help improve their reading, writing and language skills. And as they plan and work together in the garden, they will develop social skills.

An important step in planning a school garden is choosing the site.

Here are some things to consider when looking for a good place to plant the garden:

• Look for an area on or near the school grounds. It should be a place that is easy for children to walk to, gets plenty of sunshine and has good soil. Ask the school administrators and the caretaker for ideas about the best place to set up a school garden. There may be underground pipes or wires that you don’t want to disturb.
• Draw a picture of the garden before digging in the soil. Ask the children to help you. In your picture, show what you want to plant, and where you want to plant it. Include the school buildings and any trees or shrubs in your drawing so you know which areas will get shade during the day.

Here are some other things you should remember when drawing the garden:

• Your garden needs at least six hours of direct sunlight each day to grow fruits and vegetables. Don’t plant too close to the walls of a building. Water running off the roof into your garden can damage your plants. Also, try not to plant too close to trees because they may compete for some of the light, soil nutrients and water that the garden needs.
• You will need a good water supply. If possible, plant close to a water source so that children don’t have to carry water a long way. If the soil is dry, choose crops that are drought resistant or don’t need a lot of water. Investigate different ways to grow many vegetables in small plots. Find out how to manage your water supply where water is scarce. Ask your local agricultural extension agent for ideas and support.
• If the school is located in a place where animals roam freely, or you fear someone may damage the garden, you may want to build a fence around the garden. Use sturdy materials such as wire or wood to build a fence that will keep animals out. Or build a living fence of local trees, shrubs or cacti. Ask people in the community what type of fencing works best to protect their crops.
• Set up compost bins so that you will have plenty of natural fertilizer for your crops. Place the bins in a shaded area to keep the compost from drying out.
• Be sure to leave wide paths for the children to walk on so that they have enough room to move and play in the garden. You will need to change the location of selected crops from year to year so that the soil stays healthy. Some crops add nutrients and some crops take nutrients from the soil. Crop rotation can also prevent damage from insect pests and diseases.
• It would be good to have a space near the garden for storing tools and supplies. If possible, choose a site where plants are already growing. This means that the soil will support plant life. And turning the plants into the soil will provide the soil with organic matter. Remember that even a poor quality soil or dry soil can be made fertile for growing crops when you add organic matter such as manure and compost.

Include the children in as many aspects of planning, creating and maintaining the garden as possible. Don’t worry if the garden site isn’t perfect. You can include lessons about soil improvement, building good garden beds, and building a fence into the school garden program for children in the garden class.

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