Winter Planning for the Spring School Garden

Presented by Beth Feehan, Director of the NJ Farm to School Network, and Dorothy Mullen, Founder of the Princeton School Garden Program
Co-hosted by edWeb.net and the New Jersey Farm to School Network

View the webinar “Winter Planning for the Spring School Garden”

So much of what goes into making a successful school garden is about planning, preparation and politics, rather than the season-dependent horticultural needs of the plants.  A frosty day in January is the perfect time to begin getting ready so that in spring you can just go out and start.  In this webinar, Beth and Dorothy teach you how to get ready this winter for a school garden this spring.  Beth and Dorothy provide advice for working on your budget and funding; lining up volunteers for spring work days; and ordering seeds and starts.  They also give pointers on mapping out the schedule if many classes are sharing one space; setting up a credit line at the local nursery; and making sure the administration’s interests are represented in the design.  If you want to get your students involved in their school garden right away, you will learn about winter projects for them, such as collecting a compost throughout the winter and setting up a “lasagna bed.”

Visit the professional learning community Growing School Gardens

About the Community
A school garden can have an impact on the entire live and educational program of a school and the surrounding community.  Gardening activities can be incorporated into nearly every curriculum subject to enhance the appreciation of the natural world, and to provide hands-on learning activities for students.

This online PLC is a place for educators, gardeners, parents, and community volunteers to come together to share information and resources on how to start and maintain a school garden, and integrate it into the curriculum and the life of a school.

About the Presenters
Beth Feehan is the Director and Co-founder of the New Jersey Farm to School Network, a non-profit whose mission is to connect regional farms to schools to promote local purchasing and to encourage K-12 school garden education.  She is also a Co-founder of the West Windsor Community Farmers Market in central New Jersey.  Beth is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and holds an undergraduate degree from Rutgers University School of Journalism and Media Studies.

Dorothy Mullen is the Founder of the Suppers Programs, a New Jersey non-profit organization dedicated to teaching people healthy home food preparation.  She is also the garden educator at Riverside Elementary School in Princeton, NJ.  Now in its twelfth year, the Riverside garden-based education program serves all students grades pre-K through fifth grade, featuring lessons matched to State standards, garden skills and a children’s literature and food program.