Setting up and caring for your school garden

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Set Up and Care for Your School Garden

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Building and maintaining a school garden is possible in any setting. We highly recommend that you first reach out to a Master Gardener. If you do not currently have access to a Master Gardener, Contact us or one of our members for a variety of possibilities. With the Master Gardener's assistance, determine what land or lack of land is available to you. Next, have a soil study done to see if the soil is safe for growing food. If a large outdoor garden is not a possibility or the soil is not safe, consider a raised garden or a roof garden would be a possibility.

In addition to a Master Gardener, KSGN can also connect you to businesses that may provide materials needed, and to other schools to help you leverage your garden in order to benefit your students. There are also ways to start benefiting from garden related projects before you have even broken ground. The links at the bottom of this page will connect you with the right people.

For a step by step guide to starting a garden, visit www.schoolgardenwizard.com created jointly by the U.S. Botanical Garden and the Chicago Botanical Garden.

Web Sites with Gardening Tips

American Horticultural Society
A tremendous resource on youth gardening including curricula, supplies, grants, and educational materials. 3-8.

Brightside - Community Gardens

The Jefferson County Cooperative Extension Service manages the community garden program. They provide educational services and horticultural strategies that could improve your garden. They can answer your gardening questions and host several gardening classes throughout the year. Their web site offers a variety of gardening resources.

Cornell University Department of Horticulture
Resource for garden based learning, from seed to harvest, for youth and adults. Great activities, lesson plans, publications, and evaluation resources. K-12.

Homegrown

A public radio show about how and what to plant in Kentucky.

Kentucky Division of Forestry

Maintains a top ten list of plants that can be highly invasive and destructive to our natural environment. Many have been planted in gardens! Check out this list as well as the more comprehensive list maintained by the Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council

National Gardening Association

NGA offers the Web's largest and most respected array of gardening content for consumers and educators, ranging from general information and publications to lessons and grants. Explore our Web site and discover a world of gardening possibilities.

United States Department of Agriculture
This USDA run website provides an extensive resource list for agriculture in the classroom and K-8 educational materials as well as downloadable curriculum guides. K-8.

University of Kentucky Department of Horticulture

This site contains links to thousands of pages of information about plants

Books with Gardening Tips

Guide to Kentucky Vegetable Gardening by Walter Reeves http://www.amazon.com/Kentucky-Vegetable-Gardening-Walter-Reeves/dp/1591863929

Kentucky Gardener's Guide by Denny McKeown http://www.amazon.com/Kentucky-Gardeners-Guide-Denny-McKeown/dp/188860817X

Month-By-Month Gardening in Tennessee and Kentucky: What To Do Each Month To Have a Beautiful Garden All Year by Judith Lowe http://www.amazon.com/Month-Month-Gardening-Tennessee-Kentucky/dp/1930604890

Schoolyard Mosaics - Designing Gardens and Habitats

National Gardening Association www.kidsgardening.com

The Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Book by Walter Reeves http://www.amazon.com/Kentucky-Fruit-Vegetable-Southern-Books/dp/B000H2N7QK/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Tips from Site Visitors

Have a tip you would like to share? Send it to us and we may post it right here!

Kentucky School Garden Network gardens@StFrancisSchool.org (502) 228-1197