How to Build a School Garden Program That Actually Works for Teachers

Starting a school garden sounds exciting until you realize how overwhelming it can feel. Where do you put it? Who takes care of it? How do you fit gardening into an already packed curriculum? And what about summer break when no one is around to water or weed?

For many teachers, these questions are the exact reason why a school garden never moves beyond a dream. The truth is, most school gardens fail not because teachers don’t care, but because the system isn’t designed with teachers and students in mind.

That’s why I’m creating a complete course that shows you how to grow a fully educational, teacher-led school garden from start to finish, without expensive equipment, without endless extra work, and without relying on a handful of volunteers who may or may not show up in July.

In this post, I’ll share the thinking behind the course, the three core areas every school garden needs, and why this approach is different from what you’ve probably seen before.

Why Teachers Asked for This Course

A couple of weeks ago, I asked my audience if they’d be interested in a class where I teach my full method of creating school gardens — from A to Z. The response blew me away. Nearly every teacher said yes.

What stood out most was how many high school teachers responded. Since my done-for-you programs are primarily used in elementary and middle schools, I assumed most of my followers were teaching those grade levels. But it turns out that high school teachers are just as eager to make gardens part of their classrooms — especially in science, agriculture, and special education programs.

This feedback confirmed what I already believed: teachers across all grade levels want a practical, sustainable way to integrate gardening into their teaching.

The Three Core Elements of a Successful School Garden

Through years of working with teachers, I’ve learned that there are three essential components of every successful school garden:

1. Garden Design

This is where most people start — deciding if the garden will be in-ground, raised beds, containers, vertical setups, or even indoors. Plant selection and placement also fall under this category.

But here’s what makes my approach different: I don’t teach complicated systems like hydroponics, aquaponics, or grow towers. Why? Because they are expensive, require constant oversight, and create unnecessary barriers for teachers.

Instead, I focus on simple, low-cost designs that are easy to maintain and deliver maximum educational value cause the students are able to actually build these designs during class. With the right design choices, even a windowsill or small outdoor corner can become a thriving learning space.

2. Classroom Logistics

Designing a garden is one thing. Integrating it into your teaching is another. This is the piece that often gets overlooked, but it’s where the magic happens.

Logistics answer questions like:

• Who is responsible for garden tasks?

• How do you schedule activities so they fit into the school day?

• How do you connect garden work to curriculum expectations in science, math, social studies, or language arts?

This is the part of the new course I’m most excited about creating. It’s designed specifically for classroom teachers who meet with the same group of students regularly — whether you’re an elementary homeroom teacher, a middle school science teacher, or a high school ag teacher.

This is not about garden clubs or after-school eco groups. While those are wonderful, they often rely on a few enthusiastic adults and don’t integrate into the school day. A true school garden program needs to be woven into the fabric of everyday classroom learning.

3. Summer Maintenance

Ah, the biggest roadblock. Many teachers worry their gardens will shrivel in July when everyone is on vacation. And they’re right — summer can be the undoing of a school garden.

The good news is that with smart planning and design, you can almost eliminate summer maintenance headaches. In fact, I already teach a full class called School Gardens with Almost No Summer Maintenance, which shows you exactly how to plan for this.

Because summer maintenance is so closely tied to design, I’ll be expanding this existing class with an additional module to make it even more comprehensive.

Why This Approach Is Different

When people think of school gardens, they often imagine large, outdoor, high-tech projects that require grants, expensive equipment, and volunteer teams. The problem? That model simply doesn’t work long-term.

Here’s how my approach stands apart:

• Low-cost: You don’t need fancy systems — a dollar-store toolkit can go a long way.

• Teacher-led, student-powered: Teachers lead, but the work is done by students, making it 100% hands-on.

• Curriculum-driven: Every activity is tied back to learning expectations, so gardening becomes a natural extension of teaching.

• Flexible: Works in elementary, middle, or high school classrooms.

• Sustainable: Designed to last year after year, not collapse after one enthusiastic season.

This course isn’t about adding “one more thing” to your workload. It’s about transforming the way you already teach — with the garden as a powerful, living classroom.

What’s Next

The new course will be built from two parts:

• The Logistics Class (brand new — focuses on how to integrate gardening into teaching)

• The Summer Maintenance Class (already available — soon to include an extra design module)

Together, they’ll give teachers everything they need to build their own classroom garden program from start to finish.

And yes, there will be flexible options for teachers who only want one part of the course, along with discounts for those who enroll in both.

In the meantime, if you want to get ahead of the curve, I recommend checking out my School Gardens with Almost No Summer Maintenance resources now, before the price goes up.

Final Thoughts

School gardens are more than just a nice-to-have. They’re one of the most powerful tools we have for connecting students to food, nature, sustainability, and community, while deepening their academic learning.

But for gardens to thrive in schools, they need to be designed for teachers. That means simple, affordable, curriculum-driven, and sustainable.

That’s exactly what this new course will deliver.

🎧 Want to hear the full backstory? Listen to Episode 59 of School Gardens with Ease here.