Volume 3, Number 3 • SPRING/SUMMER 2010
| 680 Plains Road West, Hamilton/Burlington, Ontario, Canada L7T 4H4 905-527-1158, 1-800-694-4769 |
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In this issue — School Gardening
Nature in the News and Feature Articles
1. Growing a School Gardening Community
2. Vegetable Gardening: A Teaching Tool for Every Season
3. Try Indoor Vegetable Gardening
Classroom Activities and Resources
1. Food Miles Activity
2. Bean Bags
3. RBG Staff Picks — recommended websites
Ask the Naturalist (send your questions to nature@rbg.ca)
One of my students found a baby bird on the lawn in front of our school – now what do I do?
Vegetable Gardening: A Teaching Tool for Every Season
Whether it is indoors or outdoors, small or large, a food garden provides amazing cross-curricular connections for students of any age. There are, however, some major hurdles to school vegetable gardening. Most teachers figure that because students are not around to help with and learn from the garden during the two peak growing months, that school gardening in Canada just isn’t on the agenda. If you look around the temperate world, school gardens are everywhere and it is possible to garden year-round with fall and winter crops, season extension techniques, and indoor gardening.
1. Grow Fall and Winter Crops
When most people think of gardening, spring and summer come to mind. However, by combining cool season crops with season lengthening techniques, gardening can become more of a year-round activity. Many root and leaf crops can be grown through the ‘off’ season and with care, even through the winter.
Many plants can survive, or even thrive, with frost; they just need to reach maturity before the frost hits. Knowing the average date of the first killing frost in your area is therefore very important. Visiting helpful websites such as OMAFRA is useful, but it is important to note that these can change annually, and climate change is having an impact on these dates. Combining frost date information with knowledge of crops that like cooler weather (see the chart below), can lead to successful production of vegetables in your school’s fall semester.
Ideal Fall and Winter Crops
| Root Crops | Leaf Crops | |
| Late Maturing Crops Approximate maturity: 90 days. Plant by mid- July for fall harvest, later for spring harvest. |
Beets, carrots, parsnip,rutabaga, globe onions | Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, fava bean |
| Mid-Season Crops Approximate maturity 60 days. Plant by mid-August |
Early carrots, leek, turnip, kohlrabi | Early cabbage, winter cauliflower, collards, swiss chard |
| Early Maturing Crops Approximate maturity 30 days. Plant by mid-September |
Chives, bunching onions, radishes | Broccoli, leaf lettuces, mustard, spinach |
2. Extend Your Growing Season
Season extension techniques can also help with production of plants in the fall. These techniques allow for extension of the growing season by increasing the temperature around the plants and protecting them from harsh weather. These practices are very popular in the agriculture industry as they allow farmers to have produce available for longer periods of time. Refer to the table below to learn more about techniques you can use to grow crops throughout the school year.
Season Extension Techniques
| Technique | Overview |
| Windbreaks/Walls | Mulch acts like a blanket, insulating plants' roots in the winter. It can also help keep weeds down, keep moisture in, and prevent soil erosion. This is especially helpful for developing late root crops. |
| Mulch | Using any edging material from lumber to stone, a bed raised off the ground and filled with soil will allow the soil to warm faster than a regular bed (allowing earlier spring planting as well). They also make gardening easier by requiring less bending and provide more room for root crops. |
| Raised Bed | Using any edging material from lumber to stone, a bed raised off the ground and filled with soil will allow the soil to warm faster than a regular bed (allowing earlier spring planting as well). They also make gardening easier by requiring less bending and provide more room for root crops. |
| Cold Frame | Normally in the form of a wooden frame with a sloped cover made of clear glass or plastic, cold frames provide a great microclimate. They protect plants from storms and frosts while increasing temperatures. |
| Row Cover | Row covers act as miniature greenhouses placed directly over the crop. They can be made from mesh or plastic and help to create a warmer microclimate directly surrounding the crop. |
| High Tunnel | High tunnels (also called hoop houses) are basically unheated greenhouses covered with plastic. They help to create a warmer environment protected from severe weather conditions. |
| Greenhouse | Although often cost-prohibitive, greenhouses allow for year-round growing of almost any crop by creating a completely controlled environment. |
Using cool season crops and season extension techniques, it is very feasible to garden from seed to table through the fall and winter.
Other things to consider include ...
- Sourcing seeds can be a challenge in the fall so getting seeds in the late winter or spring and storing them for the next year helps to ensure you have the proper supplies.
- Structures like raised beds and cold frames can be built from scrap materials – your parent population may even include a contractor who can salvage windows and wood from renovation jobs. By getting staff and parents involved, soil, seeds, and tools may also be donated. High schools with horticulture programs and greenhouse space may be able to partner with elementary schools on seeding and growing seedlings.
- Before planting directly into the soil, consider its history. Soil fertility testing is a great science activity but if you are unsure of whether the site may be contaminated with heavy metals, it may be best to use raised beds and purchase topsoil to ensure safety. Again raised beds may be made from scrap wood, or containers like galvanized cattle troughs or old tires can be used.
We welcome your questions and suggestions; email us at programs@rbg.ca.
For more on Royal Botanical Gardens educational activities please visit our website.
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Resource Centre Upcoming Events North American Association for Experiential Education An Evening with E.O. Wilson; October, 23, 2010. Save the date for an RBG interactive lecture with the world’s leading biodiversity scientist. Watch our website for details! OAGEE Fall Conference, October 28/29, Ottawa. |
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