When a Garden Becomes a Burden: The Trap of the Over-Cleaned School Garden

It was the last week of July when I received a message from a teacher. Her words were a mix of frustration and fatigue:
"I just spent six hours pulling weeds, rearranging cages, and picking up dried leaves... and I still feel behind."

She attached a photo of her school garden. It was spotless. Not a weed in sight. Trellises were tied up like gift bows. Every tomato cage perfectly centered. And yet, she sounded completely drained.

The thing is, I had coached her, and I knew her garden was not that much work! Definitely not six hours of weeding and sorting things out!

That message stuck with me. Because I’ve seen it happen too often, teachers pouring hours into making their gardens look “clean” and “tidy,” chasing a vision that, frankly, doesn’t belong in a food-producing space. I've seen it amongst parent volunteers too.

The Hidden Cost of Perfection

Somewhere along the line, we started associating a good garden with a neat garden. Rows like soldiers. Soil that’s weed-free and undisturbed. Not a leaf out of place.

But here’s the thing: vegetable gardens aren’t English tea gardens.

They’re wild. They’re living. And they are meant to be a little messy.

The best ones I’ve seen are overflowing with edible abundance, vines reaching beyond their boundaries, pollinators buzzing, and yes, some weeds tucked in the corners. That kind of garden doesn’t need a six-hour cleanup every other week. It supports itself. It works with nature, not against it.

And most importantly, it doesn’t burn out its caretakers.

What Actually Matters in a School Garden

There are a few things I consider non-negotiable when it comes to keeping a school garden healthy during the summer:

• Rotting fruit on the soil should be picked up. They attract rodents and pests.

• Pathways should be clear enough to walk through.

• Structures like trellises or cages should be secure and functional.

But beyond that?

A little lean from the squash vine or a pea plant growing sideways doesn’t warrant panic. Neither does a weed or two here and there! Your garden isn’t misbehaving, it’s just alive.

Don’t Fence Them Out

One of the biggest fears teachers have is vandalism or misuse during the summer. Their first instinct is often to lock the gate. But in my experience, fencing off your garden can actually invite more damage than it prevents.

A locked fence says: “This isn’t for you.”

An open garden with a student-made sign says: “This belongs to us all. Please help us care for it.”

Most people rise to that invitation. And yes, some may leave behind a wrapper or two—but it’s a far easier cleanup than the weight of disconnecting a community from something beautiful.

Design Today to Avoid Cleanup Tomorrow

Here’s the part that surprises most teachers:
You can design your school garden in spring to need almost no summer maintenance at all.

It’s about:

• Choosing the right plants

• Setting them up with thoughtful support

• Teaching students how to prep the garden for summer

• And letting go of perfection in favor of productivity and peace

If you’ve ever found yourself staring at a “perfect” school garden and wondering why you’re exhausted, maybe it’s time to rethink what success looks like. Your garden doesn’t need to be flawless. It needs to be functional, fruitful, and freeing.

And it can be.

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If you want to go deeper into how to set up a garden that thrives with almost no summer maintenance, I talk about this in more detail in Episode 46 of my podcast School Gardens with Ease.
🎧 Listen here