I've been working with school gardens for about 5 years, and I'm often asked how to start one. These questions prompted me to begin the installation of a small garden at my work site. It's dimensions will total about 300 square feet. I will be blogging about it here as well as taking photo and video footage of the site.
I'm using the book Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew to design the garden. The book was was first published in 1981, and it's innovative methods have inspired many gardeners.
Often school and community gardens are created with great enthusiasm, only to fall into disrepair and weediness. Much of this has to do with overplanting, something Mr. Bartholomew's book discusses. Although a packet of carrot seeds contains over 1,500 seeds, don't be tempted to plant all of them at once. The work involved in thinning is eliminated using the square foot gardening method. Thinning your crops is the greatest chore in many gardens aside from weeding. In Square Foot Gardening, gardeners plant less seeds and enjoy their garden more.
You'll be able to watch the creation of the garden through the photos posted here. Please feel free to comment and share your experiences.
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