School Garden Materials and Resource Guide

Short Description
Monterey County Farm to School Partnership Garden Building Guide (2007) … (Adapted from Life Lab Science Program’s Getting Started Garden Guide which is …

Website: www.csgn.org | Filesize: 320kb

Content
School Garden
Materials and Resource
Guide
Monterey County Farm to School Partnership
A Program of the Watershed Institute at CSU Monterey Bay
“Inspiring healthy eating choices by promoting an understanding of
agriculture through garden-based education and by linking local farms to
school meals.”
Office (831) 582-5115
Fax (831) 582-3691
100 Campus Center, Building 42
Seaside, CA 93955
This informational guide outlines specific building materials, estimated costs, and
budgets needed to get a school garden started. This is a comprehensive list of supplies for
school gardens and should be tailored to fit the size and need of your garden program.
We hope that you can use this as a template to apply for garden funds, and as a reference
during the construction and implementation phases of your school garden.
Table of Contents
Getting Started…………………….pg 2
Background on Garden Supplies and Garden Beds………..pg 3
Garden Tools and Building Materials Costs…………….pg 4
Raised Bed Diagrams and Estimated Costs……………..pg 8
General School Garden Resources………………pg 10
Drafted and prepared by Monterey County Farm to School Partnership’s
Kathryn Spencer, Kari Bernardi-Ibsen, and Xeronimo CastanedaMonterey County Farm to School Partnership Garden Building Guide (2007)
2
Getting Started
(Adapted from Life Lab Science Program’s Getting Started Garden Guide which is
available for free to California School Teachers. Request a school garden resource packet
by emailing Deborah Tamannaie at dtamanna@cde.ca.gov)
1 PLANNING THE GARDEN
?Form a steering committee of students, teachers, administrators, parents, and
community members. Begin fundraising and seeking donations
?Select a garden site with at least six hours of direct sunlight, access to water, and
visibility from classrooms
?Plan and design your outdoor classroom, indicating the location of the garden bed
areas, the tool shed/storage area, the compost area, the outdoor instruction area,
the greenhouse/cold frame area, and the water system
?Purchase tools and materials
2 BREAKING GROUND
Organize a community workday Build garden beds
Do a preliminary soil test Cultivate soil
Order seeds/plants
3 MAINTANING THE GARDEN
Plant seeds in containers Cultivate garden beds Weed and mulch beds
Add soil amendments Plant and transplant Maintain compost area
Water plants as needed Prune plants Plant cover crops
Test garden bed soil Harvest crops Watch for pests and harsh weather
4 MANAGING THE…