Whoever has an orchard or flowerpot knows how rewarding it can be to see the plants grow, take care of them, enjoy their flowering and eagerly await the moment of their fruiting or harvesting. Well, getting children to have that same experience now that they are young thanks to the school garden is one of the best gifts we can give them .
We cannot forget that the youth of today are the adults of tomorrow, and as things currently stand, with the problem of poverty, hunger, global warming and others, it is important to have the basic knowledge necessary to be able to grow our own food. . For these reasons, we are going to explain what a school garden is and what are the steps to follow to make one.
Index
- 1 What is a school garden?
- 2 What does it take to have one?
- 3 What are the steps to make a school garden?
- 3.1 Orchard in the ground
- 3.2 Container garden
- 4 What to do with the fruits?
What is a school garden?
Before answering that question, let’s first see what a garden is. An orchard is nothing more than an irrigated crop that, although in the past it was only located near rivers or freshwater sources due to its high water needs, today it can be grown on any land as long as it has an irrigation system. appropriate. There is a variant, which is the urban garden, which consists of growing horticultural plants in pots, planters, cultivation tables,… in short, in containers.
Knowing this, we will be able to get more or less an idea of what a school garden is, but for the avoidance of doubt, I will tell you that this type of garden , often grown in containers since many schools are located in urban environments, It serves for children to know the growth and development of vegetables and vegetables . Thus, almost without realizing it, we also get them to respect nature more, something that is very good for our beloved planet Earth.
As if that were not enough, it can be an ecological school garden , that is, a type of school agricultural cultivation in which only seeds/seedlings and products that are not harmful to humans or plants are used.
What does it take to have one?
Nothing we do not need to have a garden at home:
- Vegetables and vegetables : either seeds or seedlings. This will depend on the age of the children and, above all, on the season of the year in which we find ourselves. Of course, the ideal would be for the little ones to see the whole process, from planting to harvesting, but if the planting season has already passed -it is usually spring- you can buy a few already grown seedlings.
- Place to plant them : does the educational center have a piece of land? Perfect! You can have the orchard there; Otherwise, do not worry because you can acquire -or make- a cultivation table. If you don’t know where to get it.
- Labels : they are very necessary, since they must write the name of the plants and the sowing/planting date.
- Irrigation system : Decide if it is better to install a drip irrigation system or a watering can will suffice. If the orchard is going to be on land, the most advisable thing will be to opt for the first option; but if it is going to be on a cultivation table you can also install a drip or use a watering can.
What are the steps to make a school garden?
orchard in the ground
The steps to follow to have a school garden in the ground are the following :
- First of all, you have to remove the weeds and stones.
- Afterwards, it is highly recommended that, with a hoe or, if you can get it, a motorized tractor -which obviously must be carried by an adult- you till the land.
- Next, you have to fertilize it with organic fertilizers, guano being highly recommended and, also, chicken manure. If you can get the latter fresh, let it dry in the sun for at least a week. Then you can pour a layer of about 4cm and mix it with soil.
- The next step is to level the ground with a rake. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
- Later, you have to sow the seeds or plant the plants and water them.
- Finally, the labels will be put on.
In order to be protected, it must be fenced.
container garden
To have a garden in a container or flowerpot, the first thing to do is to know what plants can be grown in it , which are especially lettuce, tomatoes, spinach and cucumbers. In the case of having large plastic buckets -of those that are at least 40 or 50cm high- you can make a hole in them and grow vegetables such as peppers, garlic , onions , Swiss chard and the like.
Once this is known, the seeds will be sown at a distance of about 5cm each, they will be covered with a thin layer of substrate for seedbeds Finally, the labels will be put on.
What to do with the fruits?
Once the plants are ready for harvesting, a question will probably arise: what do we do now? Well, there are several options:
- Distribute them among the children who have been farmers.
- Organize a sale of fruits and vegetables.
- They can eat in the same school.
