Planning a Youth Gardening Program

December 8th, 2009 Presented by: Vinnie Bevivino EFNEP Gardening and Nutrition Educator and Jon Traunfeld Director, Home and Garden Information Center State Master Gardener Coordinator

Planning a Youth Gardening Program

Youth gardening programs are often more complex then typical nutrition education programs Nutrition educators with limited resources have to build and organize a team to have successful school gardening programs This presentation will give you the tools to build a gardening team, establish goals, design a program, build a garden, and have lasting success

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Planning a Youth Gardening Program

Creating a Garden Team Establishing Goals Designing the Garden to Meet The Goals Educational Resources to Meet The Goals Physical and Human Resources Needed

Planning a Youth Gardening Program

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Building A School Garden Team

Dont Start With The Books Cover, Start With The Plot!
Commitment from site staff make for a more enduring and successful garden. What is a school gardening team? Who is part of the gardening team? Who leads this team? What does the gardening team do? What does the gardening team need? How can you facilitate that?

Building A School Garden Team

What is a School Gardening Team?
Group of people to share the decision making, ownership, and work load of a school garden Takes responsibility off of UME educator Creates an enduring system that will last beyond any single person

Who Leads a School Garden Team?

Garden Coordinator an excited teacher, UME staff

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Building A School Garden Team

Who is Part of the School Gardening Team?
Who needs to know about the team? School administrators Custodian Who should play an active role in the team? UME educators Teachers Custodian Other school staff Parents Community volunteers

Building A School Garden Team

What Does a School Garden Team Do? Gives authority to build a school garden Define the goals and activities of the gardening program Divides and shares the responsibility and ownership of the garden design, use, and maintenance

Who Leads a School Garden Team?

Garden Coordinator an excited teacher, UME staff
Youth Gardening Program Planning Document Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Building A School Garden Team

What Does a School Garden Team Need to Be Successful? Agreement on how the garden will be maintained and used Training Resources

Planning a Youth Gardening Program

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Defining The Program

Defining The Program

Finding Shared Goals What are your goals? Increased fruit and vegetable consumption Understanding of where food comes from Acquiring experience in growing food Sample fresh garden produce Increase in physical activity

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Defining The Program

Finding Shared Goals What are the goals of others in the gardening team? Increase in test scores / academic achievement Curricular connections to state standards Improved behavior Hands-on, exciting activities School beatification or greening Flower or butterfly gardens, connection to cafeteria Entrepreneurial School farmers market Many other potential goals
Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Defining The Program

Defining Your Current Situation Who is your audience?
Age / Grade Level Unique demographics

When will gardening occur throughout the year?

When are there staff to run the programs? When is it not realistic to have a gardening program?

Are there site limitation or assets?

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Planning a Youth Gardening Program

Garden Design and Gardening Tips

What Type of Garden?

Direct sunlight

Depends on garden goals, time, and available spaces

containers, in-ground, indoor?

Start small:
containers in a courtyard a good starter size for in-ground is 50-75 sq. ft.

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Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Site Issues
6-8 hours for summer crops- tomato, pepper, corn, melon 3-4 hours for leafy greens Near a reliable water source Level ground; well-defined, wide paths Avoid trees, shrubs, and buildings where possible Make sure you have access to every part of your garden

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Containers
Portable and easy to manage No digging in the soil; non-permanent Instant garden - instant success Can possibly use them indoors

Self-watering Containers
Home-made 5-gallon plastic bucket garden. Plans in fact sheet HG #600. Overflow hole in the side, not the bottom. This creates a 2in. reservoir for water. Roots grow through growing media into water. Increases plant access to water ands reduces watering time.

EarthBox

EarthBox

http://www.earthbox.com/education/index.php EDUCATOR DISCOUNTS!

University of MD Salad Table

Simple Materials Easy to Build

Salad Table features

Cost about $35 each in materials; takes 2-3 hours to build 58 long X 31 wide X 3.5-5.5 deep Growing area surface- 11.1 sq. ft. Produce 1-2 lbs. of salad greens at each harvest

Salad Box- 15 in. X 21 in.

Lets Have a Workshop!

Charles Co. MGs

Mixed Greens Cut at 1 Above Soil Line

Frederick Co. MGs

Contender Snap Beans

Increase Depth to 9 with Second Frame

Tumbling Tom Tomato in Deep Salad Table

What About Soil?

Soil- made of sand, silt, and clay plus organic matter and pore space. urban/suburban soils are often compacted and low in fertility always test soil for lead content (see HGIC on-line fact sheets HG #18, HG #110, HG #110a) Soilless mix- very good for containers peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, compost, coir Potting soil- quality will vary widely

Add Compost and Organic Matter!

Commercial compost: LeafGro (can be purchased by the bag or truck load); check with your county/city landfills and garden centers. Every garden needs compost bins. Sources of organic matter: shredded leaves, grass clippings (no herbicides), spent plants. Avoid animal manure and food scraps. Organic matter should make up 25% of the volume of your topsoil (top 8 inches).

Sheet Compost Your Way to a New Vegetable Garden

Ready to Plant- Not a Shovelful of Soil Was Turned!

Raised Beds
Keeps kids off the soil Easier to weed and water More productive per sq. ft. of garden space Gives the garden definition and permanence Garden beds may either be surrounded by an enclosure or built up with sloped sides and no enclosure.

Raised Bed Basics

2-4 ft. wide; usually 6-8 above grade; can be bordered with wood, stone, brick Instant raised bed filled with a purchased soil/compost mix

Raised Beds for a Neat Look and High Yields

Fence Out the Critters

What Should We Grow?

Some of the easiest vegetables are bush bean, tomato, cucumber, pepper, lettuce, summer squash, and leafy greens (Swiss chard, kale, mustard, etc.). Group plants by what season they grow in and how long they take to come to maturity. Early, short-season crops, like lettuce, can give way to late season crops after harvest. Salad greens and radish mature quickly- 25-45 days.

Bright Lights Swiss Chard

Salad Greens in September

Raised bed of Asian leafy greens
Takes 40-60 days from seed to harvest. Leafy greens can be spaced closely for cut-and-comeagain harvesting.

Give Your Plants the Room They Need

Small seeds are hard for little hands to sow! Thinning plants to the desired spacing is necessary. Growing and planting transplants is an advanced technique; makes the garden more productive.

Growing Up: Using Vertical Space

Increase yields/sq. ft. (pole bean, cucumber, tomato) Fewer fruit problems; easier to pick, water, and spray. Adds complex texture to garden; enhances ecosystem (shading, micro-climates.)

Garden Maintenance
Keep it neat, attractive, and productive. Need a plan and schedule to: Harvest produce regularly; pick up and discard rotted vegetables Mow grass around garden; cut and pull weeds Maintain a thick mulch around plants, between rows, and in paths Water, fertilize, re-plant

Educational Program
What are your educational goals Connected to overall garden goals What curriculum are you going to use? Growing Healthy Habits Others needed to meet specific goals What training will you and the garden team need?

Page 5 on your handout

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Planning a Youth Gardening Program

Resources Needed
What are the physical resources that you will need? Keep in mind your gardens goals. Dont do more than you need! Nutrition education needs Gardening needs

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Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Page 4 on your handout

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Resources Needed
What do you really need? No garden, simple inside demonstrations
Seeds, potting soil, fertilizer, food preparation and serving materials, sunlight

Resources Needed
How much money are you going to need? Do a garden budget Share fundraising responsibility with garden team Funds are needed to build a garden and then to maintain a garden Design the garden based on your means Where are you going to get the money? Donations Grants
Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Simple outside container garden

Containers, watering cans, seedlings, harvesting equipment

Outside raised bed garden

Fencing, hoses, lumber, mulch, hand tools

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Resources Needed
Its not all about money! What human capital will you need to build the garden?

Planning a Youth Gardening Program

Expertise, volunteer labor More help needed for larger gardens What human capital will you need to maintain the garden? When is help needed most? More help needed for larger gardens
Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Youth Gardening Program Planning Document

Linking Maryland Extension to Maryland Schools

FoodSmart Impact Team

HealthSmart Impact Team

Next Steps
Future Trainings Questions FAQ Follow-up Evaluations December During Year Evaluation Youth System