school garden calendar 2017 january · order seeds for spring planting. contact us for our favorite...
TRANSCRIPT
School Garden Calendar
2017
January
We want to hear about your garden plans for the new year.
Email us with your
dreams and resolutions.
We are here to help! 513.221.0981
NEW YEAR
Get Organized Order seeds for spring planting. Contact us for our favorite list of places to buy heirloom and organic seeds. We often receive donations for seeds and are happy to share! Survey fellow teachers and determine who will be helping to start seeds for spring planting. Develop a plan so there are plenty of seeds sprouting by late February (early February if you have a row cover).
Garden Tasks The garden can be lovely in winter, take students outdoors to photograph the garden after a snowfall or freezing rain event. Consider starting a garden newsletter, blog or jour-nal so you can share the adventure with parents and community members. Visit our blog for ideas and feel free to share our posts with your school team!
Lessons & Curriculum If you missed any of our free workshops in 2016, don’t fret! You can enjoy the wealth of resources we gathered by checking out the website archive. We have updated outlines for each workshop. Need ideas for winter garden club activities? Email us for a weekly list of garden activities and crafts you can use until the soil thaws!
Building Community through Gardening, Education & Environmental Stewardship
2715 Reading Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45206 P: 513.221.0981 F: 513.221.0961 www.civicgardencenter.org
School Garden Calendar
2017
February
Thursday, February 9th 3:30-5pm
Spring Seed Giveaway
presented by the Civic Garden Center
2715 Reading Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45206
FREE SEEDS
Get Organized
Collect your free seed package for spring (one per school). Each package contains organic seeds for spring planting. See info in the box below and on our website. View our growing database of local youth garden programs. If your school/organization isn’t listed send us an email and we will add you to the map.
Garden Tasks It’s time to start seeds indoors! Broccoli, Cabbage, Chard, Cilantro, Kale, Onions and more can be start-ed this month. Contact us for help choosing the right lights and soil mixture. Begin planting seeds from our package directly out-doors once the soil has thawed. Record the tempera-ture on planting day. Test hoses and watering cans for leaks, replace tools as needed so you’re ready for spring.
Lessons & Curriculum Before starting your indoor garden, ask the students to design an experiment to determine the best way to nurture the germinating seeds. How much water is needed? Which type of soil is best? How many seeds should be planted per pot? Contact us for ideas!
Building Community through Gardening, Education & Environmental Stewardship
2715 Reading Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45206 P: 513.221.0981 F: 513.221.0961 www.civicgardencenter.org
School Garden Calendar
2017
March
Want a free field trip for your students? Come to the
Civic Garden Center!
We have programs for K-12 and often have options for free busses too! Visit our website for details on our field trips and to book a date.
FREE FIELD TRIPS
Get Organized Create a shared calendar and garden map so teach-ers and community partners know when the garden is available and where they can plant, water, weed and harvest. If you plant seeds from our package before the end of this month you will have a salad to harvest in May. Invite parents, community members and all garden volunteers to share the harvest. Contact us if you want help organizing a cooking event with our mo-bile kitchen equipment!
Garden Tasks Sow seeds for spring crops outdoors. Contact us for free seeds! Follow our weekly blog as we garden along with you. If you have grow lights and intend to plant summer crops, now is the time to start seeds in your class-room. Contact us for more information.
Lessons & Curriculum Include a math lesson as you engage in square foot gardening and making seed tape with your students. View our blog for details on making seed tape and properly spacing seeds from our package. Schedule a visit with Civic Garden Center staff in your garden! Use our free garden lesson plans.
Building Community through Gardening, Education & Environmental Stewardship
2715 Reading Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45206 P: 513.221.0981 F: 513.221.0961 www.civicgardencenter.org
School Garden Calendar
2017
April
Thursday, April 13th 3:30-5pm
Bees in the Classroom
presented by Kylie Johnson & Mary Dudley
at the Civic Garden Center 2715 Reading Road 45206
FREE WORKSHOP
Get Organized Set aside a few minutes each week to jot down a notes on your garden progress. Record planting dates, germination dates/rates, weather events, etc. Come to a free workshop at the Civic Garden Cen-ter! See info in the box below and on our website.
Garden Tasks Care for your spring garden by keeping the soil moist. Add a layer of straw as mulch to retain soil moisture. Thin young plants once sprouts have emerged. Read our blog for details on thinning. Email us with any questions. Carefully remove weeds that invade your garden. Turn your compost pile to keep it aerated and free of odors.
Lessons & Curriculum Teach students about plant survival and limited re-sources as you pull weeds and thin sprouts. View and use our free garden lessons for more ideas. While most of us celebrate Earth Day every day, the official day (April 22nd) presents a great oppor-tunity to engage families and students in “going green”. Share your garden stories with your school community!
Building Community through Gardening, Education & Environmental Stewardship
2715 Reading Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45206 P: 513.221.0981 F: 513.221.0961 www.civicgardencenter.org
School Garden Calendar
2017
May
Do you need help in your school garden this summer?
We have volunteer groups who are available on Tuesday mornings in
June and July.
If your garden needs a little sprucing up contact us and we’ll try to schedule a
volunteer event at your school.
SUMMER HELPERS
Get Organized Ready for your harvest party? Schedule your salad harvest day and determine if you will be planting summer crops (see list below). If you have summer crops you need to meet with your gar-den team and create a summer watering & weeding schedule. Jot down reflections in your garden journal. Include notes on how lessons, events and garden happenings went. We can help you navigate through challenges.
Garden Tasks It’s harvest time! Enjoy those fresh greens, radishes and all of the other goodies in the garden. If you aren’t planning to tend the garden over the summer pull out all plant material and cover the soil with several layers of cardboard weighed down with bricks or rocks. This will keep the weeds from growing and in the fall your garden will be ready for planting. Consider growing summer cover crops to enrich the soil. Contact us for free seeds. If your garden will be active in the summer it’s time to plant corn, cucumbers, melons, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, sun-flowers, tomatoes, zinnias, etc. Come to our plant sale to pur-chase seedlings!
Lessons & Curriculum Enjoy the warm days of spring and give students a break from the stresses of state testing with a calm walk in the gar-den followed by time to write poetry in nature. Email us for an example student worksheet.
Building Community through Gardening, Education & Environmental Stewardship
2715 Reading Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45206 P: 513.221.0981 F: 513.221.0961 www.civicgardencenter.org
School Garden Calendar
2017
June
Thursday, June 8 9am-3pm
School Garden Development Training
presented by Mary Dudley
Youth Education Coordinator at the Civic Garden Center
2715 Reading Road 45206
FREE WORKSHOP
Get Organized
Sign up for trainings at the Civic Garden Center! See info in the box below and on our website. Record all of your reflections on your harvest party and best memories of the garden year. Confirm summer watering and weeding schedules with families who have volunteered.
Garden Tasks Continue to plant corn, cucumbers, melons, pep-pers, potatoes, pumpkins, sunflowers, tomatoes, zin-nias, etc. to ensure a fall harvest when the students return. Weed and thin around desired plants to ensure proper growth. Water the garden regularly. View our blog for tips. If you are leaving your garden to rest for the sum-mer, pull out all of the remaining plants and put them in the compost. Turn your compost to increase air access throughout the summer. Consider planting a summer cover crop. Contact us for free seeds!
Lessons & Curriculum The garden is alive with critters, plants and people! Let nature be the teacher as families relax and ob-serve the seasonal changes in the garden.
Building Community through Gardening, Education & Environmental Stewardship
2715 Reading Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45206 P: 513.221.0981 F: 513.221.0961 www.civicgardencenter.org
School Garden Calendar
2017
July
Want to visit local community gardens and meet amazing people?
Join us July 18th for an evening
tour of four community gardens.
Visit this website to register!
GARDEN TOUR
Get Organized Go through your remaining seed packets and deter-mine what you will need for fall planting. Upload all of your garden photos and make an al-bum to share with students and community mem-bers. Visit the garden often to ensure it isn’t becoming a wild weed patch and there hasn’t been any theft.
Garden Tasks Summer crops need regular watering, at least one inch per week. Install a rain gauge to help you deter-mine when to water. Harvest produce as it ripens so your garden doesn’t attract scavengers. Share the bounty with neighbors! If you have major bug infestations email us with a photo and we’ll suggest an organic solution.
Lessons & Curriculum Plan a water day when you can get wet and have fun! Bring sprinklers, balls, balloons and more. The garden will benefit and you’ll have a good time too. Include some content on the water cycle and storm water management!
Building Community through Gardening, Education & Environmental Stewardship
2715 Reading Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45206 P: 513.221.0981 F: 513.221.0961 www.civicgardencenter.org
School Garden Calendar
2017
August
Thursday, August 10th 3:30-5pm
Fall Seed Giveaway
presented by the Civic Garden Center of
Greater Cincinnati
at the Civic Garden Center 2715 Reading Road 45206
FREE WORKSHOP
Get Organized Start your garden journal and write down projects you’d like to complete this fall. Email us at [email protected] and let us know how we can help. Come to a free workshop at the Civic Garden Cen-ter! See info in the box below and on our website: www.civicgardencenter.org
Garden Tasks Harvest produce growing from the summer. Tackle weeds that have invaded your garden. Clear out space for planting cool season crops. (our favorites: Arugula, Carrots, Cilantro, Kale, Lettuce, Peas, Radishes, Sorrel, Spinach, Swiss Chard)
Lessons & Curriculum Sign up for a field trip to the Civic Garden Center and inspire your students. We have wonderful programs for all ages! Contact us at [email protected] for details and registration. Turn the compost bin and record the different items inside. Do you find decomposers? Is it bal-anced with 1/3 “greens” and 2/3 “browns”? Predict how the pile will look in the spring.
Building Community through Gardening, Education & Environmental Stewardship
2715 Reading Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45206 P: 513.221.0981 F: 513.221.0961 www.civicgardencenter.org
School Garden Calendar
2017
September
Greater Cincinnati Environmental Educators
present the
ULTIMATE EDUCATOR EXPO Wednesday, September 20 2:30-6:30pm
TOTALLY FREE! TONS OF RESOURCES!
hosted by Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden 3400 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45220
Click here to register
FREE RESOURCES
Get Organized Create a shared calendar to determine when the gar-den will host student programs and which tasks will be completed by garden committee members and/or students & teachers. Attend the Ultimate Educator Expo at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanic Garden! See info in the box below and on this website.
Garden Tasks Harvest produce growing from the summer. Continue to plant cool season crops until the middle of the month (Arugula, Carrots, Cilantro, Kale, Lettuce, Peas, Radishes, Sorrel, Spinach, Swiss Chard). Pull out spent plants and add them to the compost. Save seeds to plant next year.
Lessons & Curriculum Determine variables to test in the garden such as the amount of water, sunlight, soil, etc. that is needed for optimal plant growth. Don’t forget to set up a control for comparison. Sign up for a field trip to the Civic Garden Center and inspire your students. We have wonderful programs for all ages! Contact us to register.
Building Community through Gardening, Education & Environmental Stewardship
2715 Reading Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45206 P: 513.221.0981 F: 513.221.0961 www.civicgardencenter.org
School Garden Calendar
2017
October
Thursday, October 12th 3:30-5pm
Creating a Five Senses Garden
at the Civic Garden Center 2715 Reading Road 45206
FREE WORKSHOP
Get Organized
Schedule and plan a fall harvest festival and invite the community Come to a free workshop at the Civic Garden Cen-ter! See info in the box below and on our website Contact us to learn ways to extend the growing season into the coming months Decide if you want to plant cover crops
Garden Tasks Harvest cool season crops such as Chard, Lettuce, & Spinach. Don’t pull up the entire plant, just snip off the leaves and the plant will continue to grow and produce more leaves for harvesting Pull out spent plants and add them to the compost Save seeds to plant next year Inspect any season extension supplies to ensure they are ready for use (cold frames & hoop houses) Contact us for help winterizing your raised beds
Lessons & Curriculum Challenge your students to research ways plants and animals survive seasonal changes Focus on roots as students pull out spent plants & discuss root adaptations (potatoes, rhizomes, etc.)
Building Community through Gardening, Education & Environmental Stewardship
2715 Reading Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45206 P: 513.221.0981 F: 513.221.0961 www.civicgardencenter.org
School Garden Calendar
2017
November
Did you know the Civic Garden Center
hosts seasonal Family Classes?
Bring the family and join us for lessons
on seasonal changes, plant adaptations
and using natural materials to make artis-
tic masterpieces!
View our Classes page for more details.
CHECK THIS OUT!
Get Organized Want to keep growing in the winter months? Con-tact us for information on winterizing your garden. Record what worked and what didn’t this fall. It’s never too early to make plans for spring! Apply for grants to fund new supplies. View our grant writing basics tips here (outline link listed in ar-chive section below upcoming workshop dates).
Garden Tasks Pull out spent plants and add them to the compost. Save seeds to plant next year. Install season extenders (cold frames & hoop houses) and continue planting hardy greens. Last chance to plant perennials, spring blooming bulbs (tulips, daffodils, crocus) and garlic. Compost correctly! Layer green materials with dried leaves (browns & greens). Contact us for a how-to. Top off empty beds with compost.
Lessons & Curriculum Ask the students to reflect on their fall gardening experiences. Ask students to record their observa-tions of the changing seasons in a poem. Collect fallen leaves and make rubbings with the students. Measure the leaves and record this data.
Building Community through Gardening, Education & Environmental Stewardship
2715 Reading Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45206 P: 513.221.0981 F: 513.221.0961 www.civicgardencenter.org
School Garden Calendar
2017
December
Thursday, December 14th 3:30-5pm
52 Weeks in the School Garden
presented by Abby Strietmann,
former CGC Youth Education Program Assistant
at the Civic Garden Center 2715 Reading Road 45206
FREE WORKSHOP
Get Organized
Set a timeline for spring projects. If you need help writing a budget and finding local supplies just send us an email. Come to a free workshop at the Civic Garden Cen-ter! See info in the box below and on our website.
Garden Tasks Continue to prepare your garden for winter. Read our new blog on putting your garden to bed for sug-gestions. Consider hanging colorful flags or lawn ornaments in the garden to add some cheer! Take an inventory of your tools and identify items that need to be sharpened, repaired or replaced.
Lessons & Curriculum Use natural items from the garden (seed heads, dried leaves or flowers) to create holiday gifts for family and community members. Discuss holiday traditions that are good for the en-vironment such as composting pine trees, using live trees and making bird feeders. Help students identify ways they can go green! Speaking of bird feeders, winter is a great time to learn about common birds in our region. The bare trees make them much easier to spot.
Building Community through Gardening, Education & Environmental Stewardship
2715 Reading Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45206 P: 513.221.0981 F: 513.221.0961 www.civicgardencenter.org