Stop Fitting Gardening into Your Lessons—Do This Instead

When planning to incorporate a garden into your classroom, the way you approach lesson planning can make or break the success of the project. Teachers often fall into a common trap: starting with core curriculum goals and trying to fit gardening activities into them. While this method works well for other hands-on activities like cooking or crafts, it doesn’t translate effectively to gardening. Let’s explore why this is the case and how to build your lesson plans the right way so your students grow a thriving garden while meeting learning outcomes.

The Problem with "One-Off" Lesson Plans

Imagine you find a math lesson plan online that involves measuring the growth of bean plants. You follow the plan, planting a few beans, collecting data, and teaching your students how to manage it. Once the lesson is complete, the plants are often discarded, or students take them home, only to watch them wither. While the math objective is met, this approach doesn’t result in a sustainable garden.

The same goes for science lessons about soil or language lessons that introduce new vocabulary through planting herbs. These are great for one-time experiences but ineffective for building an actual garden that requires consistency, structure, and a clear plan over several weeks.

The Key Difference: Gardening Requires Long-Term Commitment

Growing a garden is different from other hands-on activities. Unlike cooking, which can serve as a one-off experience to teach fractions, a garden requires ongoing care and tasks spread out over time. Planting seeds is just the beginning—successful gardening involves:

• Starting seeds indoors over several weeks
• Hardening off plants (getting them used to outdoor conditions)
• Transplanting seedlings at the right time
• Watering, pruning, and maintaining the garden regularly

Each of these steps must align with the natural growing schedule, as well as the school schedule, making it crucial to plan your gardening activities in sequence.

How to Plan Your Garden-First Lessons

To grow a successful school or classroom garden, flip the usual lesson planning process on its head. Instead of beginning with the curriculum, start by listing all the tasks needed to grow your garden. Think about the type of garden you want to create—whether it’s an indoor container garden, an outdoor raised bed, or an in-ground garden.

Once you know what needs to be done, break down those tasks into step-by-step guides, making adjustments to suit your students’ abilities. For example, if your class builds a raised garden bed, you’ll need to consider how to organize group work and ensure student safety.

Connect the Garden to Your Curriculum

The beauty of gardening is that it naturally ties into many subjects. Once you’ve mapped out your gardening tasks, look for ways to connect each activity to your core curriculum. Here are just a few examples:

• Math: Teach counting, fractions, or measurements when planting seeds and tracking growth.
• Science: Explore concepts like soil composition, photosynthesis, and water cycles.
• Social Studies: Discuss food systems, agriculture, and environmental issues.
• Language Arts: Use gardening activities to build vocabulary and writing skills by having students describe what they observe.

Each gardening task can be used to teach multiple subjects, and because the activities are repeated over time, students have ongoing opportunities to explore new concepts with each step.

The Secret to Success: Cohesive Lesson Plans

To grow a garden during class time without overwhelming yourself or your students, your lesson plans need to follow the natural growing schedule. Structure your lessons around gardening tasks—like starting seeds, transplanting, and watering—and weave your curriculum into these activities. This ensures that both the garden and the learning goals progress smoothly.

If writing these kinds of cohesive lesson plans feels daunting, you’re not alone. Many teachers struggle with balancing garden planning and curriculum. That’s where programs like the Oasis Series come in. These ready-made lesson plans guide teachers step-by-step through growing a garden while meeting curriculum requirements.

Transform Your Teaching with a Garden

Starting with the garden in mind makes all the difference. Rather than trying to fit gardening into isolated lessons, the garden becomes an integral part of the learning experience. By the end of the school year, students won’t just have learned a variety of academic concepts—they’ll have created a thriving garden they can be proud of.

If you’re ready to rethink how you approach gardening in the classroom, start planning your garden-first lessons today. And if you want more detailed insights and practical tips, check out Episode 20 of the School Gardens with Ease podcast.

Happy gardening! 🌱