Getting to Know Your Garden

Garden Basics — Bed & Box Preparation, Tools & Equipment

In the Garden

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• Bed Construction & Irrigation (PDF, 72 KB)
  Children's Gardens
  Bremner, Elizabeth and John Pusey. University of California Cooperative Extension, 1990.
  Grade: K-6
• A Garden Plot: The Tale of Peter Rabbit
  O'Laughlin, Donica. California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, 2003.
  Grade: K-3
• On Location (PDF, 114 KB)
  The Growing Classroom: Garden-Based Science
  Jaffe, Roberta and Gary Appel. Addison Publishing Company, 1990.
  Grade: 4-6
• A Special Note About Gardening Tools and Equipment (PDF, 51 KB)
  Getting Started: A Guide for Creating School Gardens as Outdoor Classrooms
  Life Lab Science Program, 1997.
  Grade: K-6
• Tools and Us (PDF, 104 KB)
  The Growing Classroom: Garden-Based Science
  Jaffe, Roberta and Gary Appel. Addison Publishing Company, 1990.
  Grade: K-3
  CA State Standards: Science 2nd Grade: 1d

In the Classroom

• I'm Superb Soil… Not Dirty Dirt
  What Do Plants Need to Grow?
  Emery, Pamela. California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, 1993.
  Grade: K-6
• Inch by Inch (PDF, 152 KB)
  The Growing Classroom: Garden-Based Science
  Jaffe, Roberta and Gary Appel. Addison Publishing Company, 1990.
  CA State Standards: Science 4th Grade: 3a, b, c; 6b, c, f
  Grade: 4-6
• Read All About It! A Cycles Reading Assignment
  Starting All Over Again (The Cycles of Nature)
  Bechely, Lois and Karen Traiger. California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, 1994.
  Grade: 4-6
  
• We're Still in the Dark
  The Mysterious Plant Caper
  Borovoy, Joanne and Karen Holtman. California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, 1994.
  Grade: K-3
• You Are the Expert (PDF, 172 KB)
  TWIGS
  Grade: K-6
  CA State Standards: ELA. 2nd Grade: 1.9; 2.1, 2.2 Speaking
• Students draw their dream garden and describe it.  What plants are growing in the garden? Are there any special features like a fountain or play equipment?
  Grade: K-6
• Discuss garden bed shapes. Use graham crackers to identify and demonstrate the different shaped garden beds (i.e. rectangle, square, triangle, etc.).
  Grade: K-3

Taking it Further

• People and Places (PDF, 136 KB)
  Junior Master Gardener, Teacher/Leader Guide
  Texas A&M University, 1999.
  Grade: 4-6
• Students draw a regional map that includes public gardens, community gardens, and farms, along with other neighborhood features on the map.
  CA State Standards: History-Social Science 2nd Grade: 3.2.4; 3rd Grade: 3.1.1
  Grade: K-6
• Students identify geographical features in their region and use this information to make choices about what crops to plant in the school garden.
  CA State Standards: History-Social Science 3rd Grade: 3.1
  Grade: K-6

Resources

Children's Literature

• Cole, Henry. Jack's Garden. Greenwillow Books, 1995.
  Building on the familiar cumulative tale This is the House That Jack Built, this story tells about the plants and animals in Jack's garden. Double-page spreads feature detailed colored-pencil drawings showing the garden's development and include borders of familiar objects such tools, seeds, and insects. This is a good read-aloud choice to introduce gardening or the growth cycle. (Grade K-2)
• Ehlert, Lois. Painting a Rainbow. Harcourt Brace, 1988.
  Children watch the planting and growth of a flower garden from bulbs, seeds, and seedlings to a rainbow of blooms that can be picked and carried home. (Grade K-2)
• Schumaker, Ward. In My Garden: A Counting Book. Chronicle Books, 2000.
  Garden tools, plants and garden critters fill the pages in this garden counting book. Numbers go in tens, and ends with 233 plump peas that are scattered all over the page. Artwork is whimsical with bright colors. (Grade K-2)

For Teachers

• Bremner, Elizabeth and John Pusey. Children’s Gardens: A Field Guide for Teachers, Parents and Volunteers. UC Cooperative Extension. Common Ground Garden Program.
  Pages 24-31 contain a particularly good section on getting started with gardens.
• Caduto, Michael J. and Bruchac, Joseph. Native American Gardening Stories, Projects, and Recipes for Families. Fulcrum Publishing, 1996. (Grade 4-Adult)
• Desmond, Dan. Education and Agriculture: Making Connections, Gaining Support for Learning.
  Why a school garden? "In research that has evaluated the impact of such programs, there is evidence that they can improve academic achievement, change dietary habits, thus improving nutrition, increase ecological literacy, and build a sense of community at the school."
• Sunset. Western Garden Book.  Sunset Books Inc., 2001.
• Recommended literature for math and science at www.cde.ca.gov/ci/sc/ll