As the Development Director of Kansas City Community Gardens, I have seen some interesting and generous donations. One of my favorite gifts we have received was a bottle of rare-released whiskey by the Old Fashion Copper (O.F.C.) Distillery, a National Historic Landmark known today as Buffalo Trace Distillery. Buffalo Trace resurrected the O.F.C. line of […]
Gardening With Kids – How To Make Your Garden Magical
This article was written by KCCG’s Program Director, Andrea Mathew and was featured in the 2017 April edition of KC Gardener. If you talked to my dad for any length of time about vegetable gardening, he would probably delight you with the story of how I, at the age of three, ate a whole row […]
Reseeding and Thinning Your Spring Schoolyard Garden
If you are one of our 100 plus schools who have already planted their spring garden this year, you might be seeing some sprouts coming up in your schoolyard garden already! Most seeds take a week or two to germinate, or sprout, while others take a little longer. In order to germinate on time, seeds […]
Spring Is Here! Schoolyard Gardeners Busy Planting Spring Vegetables
It is officially spring, and the Schoolyard Gardens staff have been hard at work planting with their member schools. As schools return from their spring break, we encourage them to plant their spring garden to ensure a harvest before the end of the school year. Between March 20 and March 24 alone, over 60 schools throughout […]
How to Use Row Cover to Speed Up Your Schoolyard Garden Veggies
Despite the unpredictable temperatures of the midwest, and the short school calendar, your students could be eating broccoli, cabbage, collards and kale from their schoolyard garden before the end of the school year! But how? Row cover is a friend to the schoolyard garden. It not only insulates your veggies when temperatures drop, but it also keeps […]
Planning Out Your Schoolyard Garden Raised Beds
Now that planting season is upon us, it is time to plan out your schoolyard garden! Once your students have considered how much space they have, how much growing time they have and what they want to do with the produce, they should then decide what vegetables they would like to plant. Refer to our […]
How to Prevent Cabbage Loopers in Your Schoolyard Garden this Spring
The cabbage looper is a common pest found in schoolyard gardens. The larva is a smooth pale greenish 1-1½ inch caterpillar with thin white stripes on its back and sides. They get their name from the unique way they inch along forming a small loop with their bodies. The adults are a mostly nocturnal gray […]
Starting seeds under lights for your Schoolyard Garden
Growing your own seedlings to transplant to your schoolyard garden is a great way to get your students thinking about their vegetable garden in winter, and can help you get a jump start on spring. By planting transplants instead of seeds in your garden, your vegetables will be ready to harvest sooner. Cool season vegetable seeds can be […]
The Discovery of Photosynthesis: An Indoor Activity for Student Gardeners
While the winter weather is keeping us indoors and away from our gardens, it’s not too early to begin thinking about what makes our plants grow. The following activity and discussion, adapted from Life Lab, can help your students begin to explore how their vegetable plants grow. Objective: To introduce the concept of photosynthesis. Time: […]
Why Schoolyard Gardens Need Winter
In the dead of winter, the cold can seem endless for teachers and students alike. Those warm, sunny days, like what we’ll experience this week, are often treasured during the bleak months of January and February, but as gardeners, we should be thankful for the cold, icy and snowy days that the winter brings! But […]