School Gardens: The Foundation for Healthy Eating

GrowingGreat’s garden program actively involves students in the process of planting, tending, harvesting, eating, and selling their own organic produce. This program is based on an exciting standard based curriculum where nutrition literally comes to life.

Students experience new foods while learning about seasonality, life cycles, and sustainable food production. Trained docents assist students in planting themed vegetable gardens during both the fall and spring seasons.

Garden themes include:

Tops and Bottoms Salad
Sunflowers and Pumpkins
Vegetable CousinsButterfly/Pollinator
Endangered Species
Three Sisters
California Agriculture/Rancho Kitchen
Scientific Salad
Colonial Kitchen
Water Conservation

During the winter, students harvest their fall gardens and enjoy the food during classroom harvest celebrations. The surplus is sold at student-run school farmers’ markets, with the proceeds reinvested in the gardens.

After harvesting, students prepare the garden debris for composting, which they turn, maintain, and use to improve the soil for future plantings.

Garden Curriculum
The GrowingGreat Garden Program curriculum provides schools an easy-to-use platform to begin a successful and sustainable garden program. Whether you are an experienced school garden educator or an avid volunteer, this comprehensive program has all you need to start planting and teaching in the garden… no previous green thumbs required!

The GrowingGreat Garden Program includes:
Standard Based – Grade Specific K-5 Lessons
Fall and Spring Planting Guidelines
Resources to Getting Started, Creating a Harvest Party and Planning Farmer’s Market

A note about School Garden Facilities
While we love to work with schools that have gardens already in place, GrowingGreat also has many partnerships with organizations to help schools install permanent garden beds and/or provide garden options that require little space and can be moved. We’d love to help you grow a school garden!