Dream Big: Plan the School Garden of Your Dreams for 2025

As 2025 starts, it’s the perfect time to pause, reflect, and dream big about the school garden you want to create this year. While the calendar year and school year don’t align perfectly, this moment in the middle of the academic year is a golden opportunity for planning and growth.

Here’s how to reflect on the past year, even if you didn't have a garden yet, and turn your dream school garden into a reality in 2025.

Reflect on 2024: What Worked and What Didn’t?

Before diving into next year’s plans, take time to assess your school garden journey in 2024. Ask yourself:

• Did your garden project start as planned? If not, what held you back?
• What went well, and what challenges did you face?
• Did the garden connect to your curriculum and provide hands-on learning opportunities for your students?
• Was managing the garden easier or harder than expected? Why?

Don’t limit your reflection to the plants you grew. Think about the broader picture: the student experience, your teaching goals, the overall impact, and most importantly the ease level.

Even if your garden didn’t thrive, or didn’t happen at all, it’s crucial to examine why. Honest reflection is the first step to improvement.

Learn from Mistakes and Set Clear Goals

It’s common to make mistakes when starting a school garden. Here are some pitfalls to avoid:

• Misaligned Goals: A school garden should focus on education. Treating it like a community garden or adding extracurricular pressure often leads to burnout.
• Wrong Timing: If the garden wasn’t integrated into class time, it likely became unsustainable.
• High-maintenance Designs: Conventional raised beds or mono-culture gardens can be high-maintenance and challenging. Permaculture-inspired, student-friendly designs work best.
• Misplaced Roles: Parents and community members should play a supportive role, not be directly involved in building, planting, and maintaining the garden.

This year, make education your central focus, involve your students as the primary gardeners, and plan a design that’s simple yet effective.

Dream Big for 2025

Once you’ve reflected and learned from the past, it’s time to dream. Ask yourself:

• What do you want your students to learn and experience through the garden?
• What kind of impact could a thriving garden have on your classroom and community?
• What resources, tools, or support do you need to bring this vision to life?

A successful school garden starts small but builds on a big vision. The simplest setup, sunny windows, a few containers, seeds, and soil, can grow into something extraordinary.

Start Planning Now

Winter is the perfect season to prepare. Use this time to:

• Learn the best approach and effective practices from people who've done it and succeeded with ease.
• Determine your goals. My suggestion? Your one and only goal should be education.
• Define roles and responsibilities. My suggestion? Your garden should be 100% student-powered, teacher-led, and done during class time. Parents, admins, and custodians only support and cheer you on.
• Fundraise for supplies and curriculum-connected lesson plans that make gardening a cohesive part of your teaching. Parents can be a huge support to do this.

The earlier you plan, the smoother your spring planting will be. Find out all the details on my School Gardens with Ease 70- minute Free Webinar.

Believe in Your Dream

The most important part of creating a school garden is believing that it’s possible and it's possible with ease. Reflection and strategy are essential, but they won’t carry you far if you don’t stay connected to your dream.

Imagine your classroom or school filled with thriving food plants. Picture your students learning hands-on, connecting with nature, and growing their own food. That’s the legacy you can create in 2025.

Creating a school garden may seem daunting, but with the right mindset and approach, it’s entirely achievable. Start reflecting, start dreaming, and start planning today.

🎧 Want more inspiration and actionable advice? Check out the latest episode of my podcast, School Gardens with Ease, where I guide you through this process step by step!

🌱 Free Webinar Alert! 🌱
Ready to take the next step? Join my free webinar, School Gardens with Ease, running three times a day until February 11. In this session, you’ll learn practical strategies to start and maintain a thriving school garden with ease. Reserve your spot today and bring your dream garden to life!