Creating "gardens of goodness" doesn't take much, just a seed in warm, moist soil (nature does most of the hard work!). Annie's worked with the Center for Ecoliteracy to develop the Creating Gardens of Goodness guide to help teachers and parents plan and create sustainable gardens with their students and children -- in any space or budget.
We offer five examples of different gardens -- from simple to complex -- that can flourish at schools and other learning environments. It is our hope that at least one of these examples will fuel your motivation to garden with kids.
This free, 33-page beginners guide offers information on creating 5 different garden types:
1. Windowsill Gardens
The simplicity of a seed in a cup sitting on a windowsill belies its capacity to elicit wonder and delight. A seed, a cup, soil, water, and sun are all that is required to start.
2. Vertical Gardens
In tight spaces, gardens can be structured to grow up and out. Vertical gardens teach that gardening is possible in very limited spaces and encourage thinking about growing food as infill even where space is at a premium.
3. Raised Beds & Container Gardens
When space is available but healthy soil is not-such as in rocky soils or locations where asphalt or concrete covers a schoolyard-intensive gardening can occur in generous amounts of soil in raised beds and containers.
4. Cold Frames, Tunnels, and Greenhouses
Each of these structures is designed to provide weather protection, extend the growing season, and maximize solar efficiency. Students are exposed to the notion that plants can grow all year in most locations across the country, even in northern and snowy climates.
5. Large-Scale Gardens
When there is sufficient commitment, land, and funding, a large-scale garden offers opportunities to grow a wide diversity of plants, introduce farm animals into the mix, and produce enough food to help nourish students or even the wider community.
Download sections of this guide or the entire pdf at http://www.annies.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Creating-Gardens-of-Goodness_Annies-Homegrown.pdf
For more information and to download the guide, visit http://www.annies.com/giving-back/school-gardens/how-to-start-a-garden/
The Center for Ecoliteracy supports and advances education for sustainable living. Learn more at www.ecoliteracy.org
At Annie's our mission is to cultivate a healthier and happier world by spreading goodness through nourishing foods, honest words and conduct that is considerate and forever kind to the planet. Learn more at www.annies.com
Create Your Own Garden: Annie’s How-to Guide for Five Kinds of Children’s Gardens
Posted: September 11, 2019 by MAEE Administration
Category: Sharing Environmental Education Knowledge (SEEK)
Creating "gardens of goodness" doesn't take much, just a seed in warm, moist soil (nature does most of the hard work!). Annie's worked with the Center for Ecoliteracy to develop the Creating Gardens of Goodness guide to help teachers and parents plan and create sustainable gardens with their students and children -- in any space or budget.
We offer five examples of different gardens -- from simple to complex -- that can flourish at schools and other learning environments. It is our hope that at least one of these examples will fuel your motivation to garden with kids.
This free, 33-page beginners guide offers information on creating 5 different garden types:
1. Windowsill Gardens
The simplicity of a seed in a cup sitting on a windowsill belies its capacity to elicit wonder and delight. A seed, a cup, soil, water, and sun are all that is required to start.
2. Vertical Gardens
In tight spaces, gardens can be structured to grow up and out. Vertical gardens teach that gardening is possible in very limited spaces and encourage thinking about growing food as infill even where space is at a premium.
3. Raised Beds & Container Gardens
When space is available but healthy soil is not-such as in rocky soils or locations where asphalt or concrete covers a schoolyard-intensive gardening can occur in generous amounts of soil in raised beds and containers.
4. Cold Frames, Tunnels, and Greenhouses
Each of these structures is designed to provide weather protection, extend the growing season, and maximize solar efficiency. Students are exposed to the notion that plants can grow all year in most locations across the country, even in northern and snowy climates.
5. Large-Scale Gardens
When there is sufficient commitment, land, and funding, a large-scale garden offers opportunities to grow a wide diversity of plants, introduce farm animals into the mix, and produce enough food to help nourish students or even the wider community.
Download sections of this guide or the entire pdf at http://www.annies.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Creating-Gardens-of-Goodness_Annies-Homegrown.pdf
For more information and to download the guide, visit http://www.annies.com/giving-back/school-gardens/how-to-start-a-garden/
The Center for Ecoliteracy supports and advances education for sustainable living. Learn more at www.ecoliteracy.org
At Annie's our mission is to cultivate a healthier and happier world by spreading goodness through nourishing foods, honest words and conduct that is considerate and forever kind to the planet. Learn more at www.annies.com