Creating a School Garden

We finally have our approval to move forward with the school garden project, something my wife and I  have been dreaming about for a very long time.

Last week we had or first meeting to discuss the location, throw around some ideas and talk about how the garden will be used. We have a great group of people on board so far and everyone seems to be really excited about this project!

Proposed layout for the school garden.

Our vision for the school garden is to be a place to teach children about where their food comes from, let them experience the process of growing their own food, and to help connect them with nature. Hopefully the garden will inspire children to become interested in starting a garden at home and educate them about the importance of eating healthy, local food. It always surprises me when someone tastes a vegetable fresh from the garden and says, "Wow, I never knew these tasted like this!"

Another reason I am excited about this project is because it is a chance to experience growing on a larger scale than my own back yard. For me this is a step along the way to owning some acreage and running a small organic farm.

We want the garden to be strictly organic, which means no chemical pesticides or fertilizers and planting only organic and heirloom seeds,  no GMO or hybrids. We want to use only natural growing practices - growing in harmony with nature. We plan on using natural pest control, such as garlic sprays and will be applying compost and compost tea sprays, which is something I do in my own garden with great success.

As soon as the snow melts and the ground thaws, we will be laying out the garden, building the raised beds and putting up a fence to keep the critters out. Meanwhile, I have worked out a proposed budget and we are in the planning stages to make sure we can get things started as soon as possible. This year will be busy planning our own gardens in addition to the school garden, but I am passionate about gardening and healthy food, so I am thrilled to be working on this project!

Hopefully the garden will be successful and we get a lot of people interested in it. There is already talk of starting a garden club, possibly incorporating some of what we grow in to the lunch program, doing a seedling fundraiser and even having a farmers market. Future plans will include adding a storage shed, greenhouse and possibly expanding the gardens to include blueberries and raspberries!

~

To help fund this project I will be donating 50% of all my online sales for the months of March and April to the School Garden Project. That means 50% from each item sold from my ETSY store and Website will go towards supporting the School Garden Project and help promote organic gardening!

~Rob~

Shared at:

The Backyard Farming Connection
 Tilly's Nest
 The Self Sufficient HomeAcre