How to Create School Gardens with Ease: A Sneak Peek at My Free Webinar

If you’ve ever dreamed of starting a school garden but felt overwhelmed by the logistics, time, or effort it might require, you’re not alone. Many teachers and parents share this dream but struggle to bring it to life in a way that is manageable and sustainable. That’s why I’m so excited to share the core ideas behind my School Gardens with Ease method, a proven approach that makes growing food in schools simple, effective, and truly educational.

This post is inspired by the latest episode of my podcast and offers a condensed version of what I cover in even greater depth during my free annual 70-minute webinar, which kicks off on December 1st. Whether you’re an educator or a parent, you’ll learn how to start a school garden the right way — and why “ease” is at the heart of everything I teach.

Why Ease Matters in School Gardens

When I began this journey over a decade ago, I quickly realized that school gardens are far more complex than home gardens and very different than community gardens. At first, I underestimated the challenges teachers face when adding a garden to their already packed schedules. Growing food in schools is not just about planting seeds; it’s about connecting the garden to education, logistics, and a classroom structure.

I’ve spent years refining my methods to create gardens that are:

• Student-powered: Every aspect of the garden, from planting to maintenance, is done by students as a hands-on learning experience.

• Teacher-led: Teachers guide the process during class time, integrating it seamlessly into the curriculum.

• Community-supported: Parents and administrators play a supportive role, helping with fundraising, summer maintenance, and cheerleading from the sidelines.

This approach ensures that no single group is overburdened while maximizing the educational value for students.

The Role of Permaculture Principles

At the core of my method is Permaculture, a design philosophy that works with nature to make gardening easier. I often joke that Permaculture is for “lazy gardeners”, but in truth, it’s about being smart, efficient, and resourceful. When applied to school gardens, Permaculture techniques create resilient, low-maintenance gardens that thrive without unnecessary hard work.

For example, instead of planting monoculture batches of just tomatoes that require constant care, we design gardens that mimic natural ecosystems. This reduces pests and the need for intervention, letting nature do much of the heavy lifting.

Why Students Should Power the Garden

One of the most common questions I hear is, “Why can’t parents or volunteers just grow the garden?” Here’s why:

The primary purpose of a school garden is education. Growing the garden is part of the learning process, teaching kids where food comes from and how to grow it themselves. When parents take over, the students miss out on this transformative experience. Similarly, lunchtime gardening clubs or weekend planting events may seem like good ideas, but they often lead to burnout for adults and missed opportunities for students.

By keeping the garden as part of class time and fully student-powered, we ensure it becomes a hands-on teaching tool that empowers students and integrates with their academic subjects. It’s not just about growing plants it’s about growing knowledge and skills.

The Secret to Success: Lesson Plans

Another key to making school gardens easy is having well-designed lesson plans that tie the garden to your curriculum. This eliminates the need to “add” gardening as an extra subject. Instead, the garden becomes a natural extension of subjects like science, math, language arts, and even geography or indigenous studies.

During the webinar, I’ll share step-by-step strategies to help you:

• Avoid common mistakes that lead to burnout.

• Integrate gardening into your classroom without adding extra work.

• Build a resilient garden using Permaculture principles.

I’ll also give you three practical guides to help you implement what you’ve learned.

Join Me for the Free Webinar

The School Gardens with Ease webinar is a jam-packed 70 minutes filled with actionable tips, common pitfalls to avoid, and strategies to grow a thriving school garden. It’s recorded and will run three times a day from December 1st to mid-February, so you can choose a time that works for you. And if you stick with me until the end, you’ll receive my three free guides as a thank-you.

Starting a school garden doesn’t have to be hard — not when you have the right approach. Whether you’re a teacher or a parent, I’d love to help you create a garden that inspires, educates, and grows with ease.