Classroom Gardens: The Key to Easy and Effective School Gardening

In the realm of school gardening there is a focus on outdoor gardens and advanced indoor systems such as hydroponics and aquaponics. While these methods have their advantages there is an overlooked treasure; the classroom garden. Surprisingly classroom gardens are underappreciated and receive attention to such little extent that few teachers actually cultivate them.

The Three Types of Teachers

When it comes to cultivating food with their students teachers generally fall into three groups:

1. Outdoor Garden Enthusiasts: These educators go in creating school gardens or investing in costly indoor setups and are willing to sacrifice their personal time outside class time to grow the garden.
2. Garden Avoiders: These teachers feel overwhelmed by the idea of tending to a garden with limited knowledge and resources so they opt out altogether.
3. Occasional Growers: These teachers may experiment with growing an avocado seed in water or a couple of beanstalks at wrong times of the year resulting in disappointment when these plants fail to thrive.

The Potential of Classroom Gardens

Now, if you belong to a fourth category and are growing food-producing classroom gardens already, know that you are rare. Contact me please! I would love to interview you! Honestly! For most educators classroom gardens remain an untapped resource with massive potential that requires attention.
Classroom gardens are in need of a boost of reputation for these reasons:

• Accessibility: Classroom gardens are more accessible compared to outdoor gardens or advanced technology setups. They do not demand any land, any costly equipment or special permissions.
• Maintenance Made Easy: Unlike outdoor gardens classroom gardens are within the teachers realm of control. They are simpler to upkeep requiring very little money and effort. And they also end at the end of the school year which means no summer maintenance.
• Interactive Learning Experience: Classroom gardens serve as powerful teaching tools. They enable students to grasp concepts related to plant growth, sustainability and nutrition in their learning environment. These gardens provide hands-on experiences that can directly align with the curriculum allowing students to actively engage in the growing process during class time. 
• Teacher-Supportive: Classroom gardens can simplify a teachers life by offering a way to incorporate gardening into their teaching responsibilities without adding stress. They provide a controlled setting where the entire process can be managed within the classroom environment.

Drawbacks of Outdoor and High-Tech Indoor Gardens

While outdoor gardens and advanced indoor systems have merit they also present challenges:

• Financial and Technical Complexity: High tech systems come with a price tag and necessitate teachers to acquire expertise in intricate gardening techniques. They come with a learning curve that's steep and can be both time consuming and prone to errors. Outdoor gardens do come with a somewhat steep learning curve too that classroom gardens don't have.
• Challenges Related to Seasons: Outdoor gardens encounter issues such as summer upkeep, which often falls on teachers or volunteers during the break months.
• Approval and Space Challenges: Setting up outdoor gardens involves securing land access and navigating procedures for approval adding to the teachers' workload. In many cases these approvals take long and the teachers miss the growing season of the current school year.
• Educational Return On Investment: Without proper planning, outdoor gardens might end up draining resources without offering educational benefits unless they are seamlessly integrated into the curriculum and very well designed for long-term sustainability.

Advocating for Classroom Gardens

Classroom gardens present a cost effective, yet equally impactful option. They provide students with knowledge about cultivating their food fostering a connection to nature and promoting healthy eating habits. It's time to prioritize classroom gardens and make them an integral part of gardening initiatives.

Additional Resources

To delve deeper into this topic and engage in discussions, tune in to Episode 6 of the School Gardens with Ease podcast. Join us as we explore the potential of classroom gardens and learn how you can establish one in your classroom.

For more support and guidance, explore our Oasis Classroom program, specifically designed to help teachers grow classroom gardens with ease. Let’s revolutionize school gardening together!