For years, I’ve supported elementary and middle school teachers with step-by-step guidance for bringing gardens into their classrooms. I’ve offered done-for-you lesson plans, curated seeds lists, planting calendars, and a full scope of curriculum-connected activities. It’s what my Oasis program seri...

If you’ve ever tried to grow a school garden through a lunchtime club or after-school green team, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s one of the most common approaches teachers take when trying to bring gardening into schools.

It’s also, unfortunately, one of the least effective.

As someone who’s work...

If you're an educator who’s ever thought “I’d love to teach my students how to grow food, but we don’t have a school garden”, this blog is for you.

Because here's the truth:
You don't need a single square inch of outdoor space to run a thriving, meaningful garden-based education program.

Not only ...

Over the years of helping teachers grow school gardens, one truth keeps rising to the surface:

🌿 There is no one-size-fits-all approach to teaching through gardening.

Some educators light up at the thought of seed trays on their windowsill. Others get anxious just thinking about who will water the...

If you’ve ever put time, heart, and curriculum hours into building a school garden—only to have it damaged or neglected because of misunderstandings with caretakers—you’re not alone.

It’s a frustratingly common scenario:
You carefully plan out your raised beds, your students plant seedlings with en...

If you’ve ever walked past an abandoned school garden—overgrown, forgotten, maybe full of weeds—you’ve probably wondered what went wrong.

Too many teachers start with excitement and good intentions, only to end up overwhelmed, under-supported, or burned out. Others never start at all, convinced the...

For many teachers, the last bell of the school year signals a much-needed shift—from classroom chaos to summer calm. But if you’ve started a school garden, that shift may be accompanied by a different kind of anxiety:

"What will happen to my garden while I’m away?"

This question haunts far too man...

You’ve got seeds. You’ve got students. You’ve got a sunny corner by the window or a raised bed outside.
You’re ready to start gardening with your class.

But before you get your hands in the soil, pause.
Because if you don’t consider timing, your school garden might already be in trouble.

As a gard...

When you hear the word biodiversity, do your eyes glaze over just a little? It's understandable — the word gets tossed around so often in education, sustainability, and environmental circles that it starts to sound like background noise. But here’s the truth: when it comes to school gardens, biodive...

For educators and school garden enthusiasts, nurturing seedlings in the classroom is a rewarding endeavor. However, the transition from the controlled indoor environment to the unpredictable outdoors requires careful planning to ensure the health and survival of these young plants. This guide delves...

Are You Fertilizing Your School Garden During Summer? Here’s Why You Might Not Need To

Every summer, teachers and school garden volunteers brace themselves for the tedious chore of garden maintenance — and fertilizing often tops the list of to-dos. But what if I told you that with the right setup, ...