School Gardens
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Urban gardeners and farmers may have concerns about potentially harmful contaminants in their soils. By determining the historical use of the land, one can test for soil contamination associated with prior use. This publication outlines appropriate testing procedures for soil contamination and recommends best gardening practices for working in urban soils.
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Summer management of the school garden can be a challenge for educators and school gardeners. This publication presents several possible strategies for handling the garden so that teachers and administrations come back to school in the fall with a garden ready for use.
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A classic example of a North American species that undergoes a great migration is the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus Linnaeus. Monarchs travel on air currents and cross more than 3000 miles in winter to reach their overwintering sites. Monarch butterfly populations are showing a declining trend. As the overwintering habitat in Mexico is destroyed by logging or deforestation activities, they have fewer and fewer places to overwinter. Other factors contributing to their decline such as diseases, pesticide use, and loss of larval hosts (i.e., milkweed) are on the rise. The larvae need milkweed to develop, and the adults need nectar for migration and survival day-to-day, so more nectar sources and milkweed plants are needed to sustain their migration patterns. More flowering plants and milkweeds can help conserve the migrating monarchs, especially when planted along farm-reserved lands and urban gardens.
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The lead author of this publication is Katherine Melcher, College of Environment and Design. The UGA Extension contact for the publication’s content is Becky Griffin. Providing opportunities for youth to design their environment can increase their connection to everyday nature and increase their sense of empowerment. By combining ecology and design, garden design can also be a central piece in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) education. This activity guide contains five chapters that explain the purpose of pollinator gardens, the design process, and the basic steps used to create a planting plan. The chapters are supplemented with activities to guide youth and other beginning designers through the process of creating a pollinator garden.
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The lead author of this publication is Katherine Melcher, College of Environment and Design. The UGA Extension contact for the publication’s content is Becky Griffin. These appendices provide information about plants that grow well in Georgia’s Piedmont Ecoregion, as well as to-scale plant symbol and plant ID card templates for use in creating design plans.
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C 1027-9
Garden Fencing
This publication describes options for fencing a community or school garden, including fence types and materials.
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C 1027-11
Sources of Water for the Garden
This publication discusses the advantages and disadvantages of various sources of water for a community or school garden, including municipal water, rivers or creeks, ponds, wells and rainwater.
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C 1027-12
Irrigation
This publication describes irrigation methods suitable for community or school gardens, including overhead sprinklers, hand watering and drip irrigation.
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C 1027-3
Raised Beds vs. In-Ground Gardens
This publication describes the advantages and disadvantages of raised bed and in-ground gardens and may be used as a guide when planning a community or school garden project.
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