Spring 2016 Austin Elementary SCHOOL GARDEN
Preliminary Plan Prepared by Mrs. Stubblefield Mrs. Rickets
Cindy Rajhel, Parent Volunteer
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Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. 3 Activities and Exhibits ............................................................................................................................. 3 Supplies Needed ..................................................................................................................................... 6 Donations ............................................................................................................................................... 7 Wish List ................................................................................................................................................. 7 Key 4th Grade Concepts .......................................................................................................................... 8
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Austin Elementary School Garden Plan
Spring 2016 Executive Summary Fourth grade students will create a new learning garden in the inner courtyard of Austin Elementary School in Weatherford, Texas. Mrs. Stubblefield and Mrs. Rickets will oversee the initiative with guidance from a parent volunteer, Cindy Rajhel. The mission of the Austin Elementary School Garden is to inspire young people to grow their own food, enjoy nature and learn gardening, research and conservation skills that will last a lifetime! Students will be empowered to experiment in a natural environment with organic gardening and creative problem solving techniques. The activities and exhibits will provide students new insights and practical experiences with key concepts taught in the classroom across many subjects.
Activities and Exhibits 1. Creative Composting. Students will learn how waste products can be recycled into compost using various methods. They will contribute to an active compost pile and harvest the resulting soil amendment. The garden will feature a compost tumbler and worm bin. Students will explore the world of red wiggler worms. They will take care of the worms and learn how they convert food scraps into nutrient-rich soil amendment. Students will also learn how to create organic, chemical-free fertilizers from common materials. Components of the soil food web will be reintroduced: organic matter, bacteria, fungi, creatures, birds and animals.
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2. Grow Potatoes in Burlap Sacks. Using recycled coffee sacks, the students will grow organic potatoes above ground while learning about plant structure, climate requirements and growth habits. They will maintain the plants and in a few months will have fun pushing over the sacks to harvest “new” (young) potatoes. 3. Solar Oven. By constructing a solar oven using cardboard and other simple materials, students will learn how to harness the sun’s energy to cook foods. Important safety rules will be taught including sanitary food handling practices and temperatures necessary to kill “bad” bacteria. 4. Strawberries and Propagating Plants. Strawberry plants will send off new shoots that can be attached to smaller pots filled with soil. These new crowns will root and create more strawberry plants. The students will harvest the strawberries and use them to flavor herbal drinks and garnish salads. Students may also try to propagate left-over “grocery” items such as celery stumps and lettuce stumps, garlic cloves and onion ends. 5. Soil Types and How to Make Your Own Soils. Students will screen compost and use organic materials such as coconut coir to mix up their own seed starting and potting medium. Coconut coir is a soft and bacteria-free material ideal for multiple soil preparations. During these activities the properties of soil will be reviewed from previous class study. 6. Introduce New and Exciting Edible Plants. Because the garden is under a time constraint (ending the first week in June) and in a location that does not receive full sun, we will get creative with our plant choices. Students will learn what grows well at different times of the year. The garden will feature edibles that can thrive in sporadic sun and part shade: a. Asian Greens. Exotic greens of different shapes have fun names such as “Mibuna”, “Mizuna” and “Tatsoi”. Students will have the opportunity to compare the diverse flavors. Planting in “grow bags” of all sizes will allow the students to gain a more complete “From Seed to Table” experience, versus planting a seed in a cup. Students will also learn how to coax multiple harvests from one plant. b. Plants with History and Culture. Students will grow rare seed, ancient plants and fascinating edibles from around the world. Amaranth, an ancient grain, was once a staple food for the Aztecs. Claytonia, otherwise known as “Miner’s Lettuce” was eaten by the gold rush miners to fend off a disease called scurvy. The students will also be introduced to other nutritious leafy greens that can be used like lettuce in salads and stir fries (purslane, mache, spinach, red orach and Malabar spinach – grows on a vine). Students will grow a rare radish variety from India. 4
c. Fascinating Root Crops and More. Students will grow beets, turnip, kohlrabi and other lesser known edibles. d. Herb Garden. The students will design an herb garden featuring several fragrant and useful herbs. They will explore the aromas and textures of the herbs and use them to flavor salads, drinks and
roasted dishes. 7. Trap and Beneficial Crops. Students will explore how to plant different vegetables, flowers, herbs and fruit together to keep the garden healthy. For example, certain herbs such as borage, nasturtium and oregano send of aromas that may repel garden pests. Some plants attract pollinators. Others absorb nutrients from the air return those nutrients to the soil when they decompose. Shorter plants can act as a ground cover to keep the soil cool. 8. Beneficial Insects and Garden Pests. It’s fun to find and observe bugs and insects in the garden. Students will learn how to avoid pesticides - even homemade garlic/pepper sprays. They will learn how to encourage the “good” bugs to naturally take care of the “bad” bugs. A live pupa of a tomato hornworm will be observed and students will play games to reinforce the identification of the creatures. 9. Small Space Gardening Techniques. Students will learn how to plant vertically and in small areas using containers, bottle towers and natural materials. 10. Zen Garden. A section of the garden will contain natural elements such as fine gravel and rocks. This area will be utilized as a natural “maker space” where students rake the gravel into designs and arrange rocks and objects using their imaginations. Inspired by Japanese garden design, our “zen garden” will be a destination to relax and improve concentration skills. This spot is best for one or two students at a time. 11. Garden Crafts. We will paint rocks, mold clay and repurpose materials to use as labels and signs for the plants and exhibits.
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Supplies Needed 1. Organic Compost. The most important element of the garden is quality soil free from synthetic ingredients. We need organic potting soil and organic compost. The garden needs at least 2 square yards of soil rich in organic matter. Large bags work well. A truckload is welcome. NO Miracle Gro products, NO manure and nothing with time-released fertilizers, e.g., “Feeds up to 3 Months”. The goal is to use soil originating from once living things (organic matter) and not soil synthetically enhanced. Soils with synthetic ingredients do not perform well over time and produce too much growth too quickly, causing plants to be weak and more susceptible to disease. Some ingredients/phrases to avoid: “Ammonium Nitrate”, “Nitrate Nitrogen”, “Ammoniacal Nitrogen”, “Polymer-Coated” and “Time-Released”. 2. Organic Seed Starting Soil. This is fine textured soil ideal for seed starting. (If too costly, we can make our own using coconut coir, vermiculite, perlite and worm castings.) 3. Herb Plants. The students will grow some herbs from seed. Because it will take too long to grow all of the herbs from seed, it would be wonderful to have some plants already established (any size): oregano, rosemary, mints, thyme, parsley, etc. Students will exercise their senses, compare flavors and use herbs to enhance fresh foods and drinks. 4. Fertilizers and Soil Amendments. Organic kelp meal and organic fish meal Fourth grade students will be able to provide different nutrients and will be show the Austin community how they used at different times during plant grow edible plants, maintain the garden growth. Prefer separate products, not and recycle food scraps to make mixed into one product. nutrient-rich soil amendment. 5. Large Work Table. This could be a scrap door that we put on saw horses or an actual table. It will be used for demos, planting, worm activities, crafts and more. 6. A Hose. A simple hose would be useful to water the garden. 7. Buckets. We could use (5) 5 gallon buckets. When possible, water will be added to the buckets and left to settle overnight. Students will dip jugs into the buckets to water the plants. This way some of the chlorine will have evaporated and the water temperature will be less shocking to plants. 8. Large Bags of Perlite and Vermiculite. Perlite is a volcanic mineral that looks like small white rocks. It is used to aid in soil drainage. Vermiculite is a silica and clay mineral that forms in sheets in nature. Bagged, it resembles mica in appearance and absorbs water, helping to prevent the container soil from drying out. Home Depot sells both of these products in large bags.
9. Hand spades/scoops for filling pots and mixing soil. These can be inexpensive and simple. We do not need expensive tools, large shovels or rakes. 10. Disposable, latex-free gloves SIZE X-SMALL to be used by students who don’t want to handle, or should not handle, soil (allergies) or worms. (Worms are not dangerous to handle. Students may be squeamish at first.)
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Donations Donations are welcome! Please coordinate with Mrs. Stubblefield or Cindy Rajhel if you plan to donate an item. (It is unknown at this time how cash or check donations will be handled and documented and if donating entities can acquire tax benefits.) Mrs. Stubblefield:
[email protected] Cindy Rajhel:
[email protected] 760-687-3004 Cindy will donate grow bags, burlap sacks to grow potatoes, seed potatoes, pots, coconut coir, plants, seeds, perlite, vermiculite, solar oven supplies and more. She will loan the garden a compost tumbler, worm bin, red wiggler worms and a couple of trellises.
Wish List 1. Mini Greenhouse for starting seed ($30): http://www.harborfreight.com/lawngarden/greenhouses-supplies/4-tier-5-ft-greenhouse-96911.html
2. One Bale of Straw (for mounding up potatoes – NOT HAY). 3. Red Wiggler Worms. These are special worms used for composting. Common earthworms will not work for our purposes. Although Cindy is donating some of her worms, the more we have, the faster we can get worm castings for our garden. 4. Large Plastic Poster Frame to make the window of the solar oven. NO GLASS. Something like this: http://www.michaels.com/studio-decor-trendsetter-frameblack18inx24in/10108688.html#start=21
5. Strawberry Plants: Preferably June bearing, early season varieties. June bearing strawberries produce more runners. We will make more plants from the runners. Early season varieties will hopefully give us strawberries before school is out. Early season varieties: Anitabis, Alba, Emily, Ac Wendy, Wendy, Lester, Hokowase, Hecker, Galletta, Evangeline, Mohawk, Earliglow, Northeaster, Sable, Sweet Charlie and Veestar. 6. Extra-Large Smart Pots (50”): Two of these extra-large fabric “smart pots” (50”) would work perfectly for our Zen Garden and Herb Garden. If not possible, we could try sewing something similar to save money. http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Pots-Big-Fabric-Raised/dp/B007BVKDZI 7. Lacinato Kale Plant Starts. This is flat-leafed kale, perfect for roasted chips (solar oven). We would not be as interested in curly leaf kale. Any flat-leaf kale is preferred. 8. Cement Blocks and Boards that fit into the holes of the blocks to create benches and platforms. These are easy to setup and disassemble. We would use two blocks for each leg to avoid gluing the blocks together for stability (the image shows three blocks per leg). It is nice to have something to sit on to write notes, draw and observe the garden. 9. Heavyweight Burlap Sacks. Farms and coffee houses utilize large, heavyweight burlap sacks to store feed and coffee. The students will use the sacks for planting containers and worm bedding. Sacks should not have contact with animal manures. Cindy is donating some sacks but we can always use 10-20 more.
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Key 4th Grade Concepts The following key concepts will be integrated into the garden activities and exhibits.
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The state, color, and texture of materials can change as a result of heating and cooling. There are different forms of energy including mechanical, sound, electrical, light, and heat. Soils differ in their observable properties. Soils can be sorted based on particle size, texture, color, and capacity to retain water. Soils differ in their ability to support the growth of plants.
6. Earth’s materials can be changed by weathering, erosion, and deposition. 7. We can observe the results of weathering, erosion, and deposition on Earth’s surface. 8. Renewable resources include air, plants, water, and animals, which are generally replaceable within a lifetime. 9. Tools such as rain gauges, wind socks, and thermometers can be used to gather weather data and can be recorded on tables, graphs, and weather maps. 10. Shadows and seasons depend on the position of the Earth in relation to the Sun. 11. Producers need sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to produce their own food. Consumers depend on plants or other organisms for food. 12. The sun provides energy that flows through food chains and webs. Energy that moves through a food web originally comes from the Sun. 13. Organisms undergo observable changes during their life cycle including birth, growth, development, reproduction, and death. 14. We can illustrate and compare the life cycles of various plants and animals. 15. Some animals, such as butterflies and beetles, pass through distinctly different life stages during their life cycle. Some plants, such as radishes and lima beans, develop from seeds into small plants that resemble the adult form.
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