The students at Holliday Montessori have been gardening for many years in four raised beds in their playground. Over the years, student and teacher interest grew, but there were not enough raised beds for every class to use. After a long period of planning, the teachers and students decided to expand their vegetable garden to […]
Preschool Students Plant Their Spring Vegetable Gardens
Students at Richardson Early Learning Center were so excited to get out planting in their garden! They planted mustard greens, Sugar Ann snap peas and carrot seeds. While planting our garden, we talked about keeping track of our seeds by planting them in a straight line. We also talked with them about how it’s important to […]
Rain, Rain, Go Away
If you’ve looked outside in the last 10 days chances are you’ve only seen grey skies or rain. It was a wet end to March and beginning of April. It’s rained nearly every day of the last two weeks. If you’ve already planted your spring garden you are likely welcoming in the rain. If your […]
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 […]
Students Advocate for Healthier Communities at KC Healthy Kids Summit
On March 2, Kansas City Community Gardens’ partner KC Healthy Kids held their first annual Kids Summit. The Kids Summit hosted over 200 students from schools throughout the metro, and was part competition and part conference for 3rd through 8th graders who participated in the KC Healthy Kids I Am Here youth photo contest. For the […]
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 […]