Now that your schoolyard garden is planted for the fall, and your seeds are starting to sprout, it’s time to inspect your seedlings and do some thinning! If you notice that your seedlings are growing too close together, thinning them out early on—two or three weeks after planting—will give your veggies enough room to grow. […]
How to Prevent Cabbage Loopers in your Schoolyard Garden
While out exploring in the garden with preschoolers from Learn A Lot in Raytown, Mo., we noticed green caterpillars on our broccoli plants! These small green caterpillars are called cabbage loopers. They enjoy eating greens in the brassica family (kale, cabbage, collards, broccoli, etc.). Cabbage loopers are especially pesky during the fall gardening season. After […]
Mulching Your Schoolyard Garden
Weeding your schoolyard garden can be a tedious task for students and teachers alike. To help prevent weeds from growing in your garden, consider adding straw mulch to your schoolyard garden. A thick layer of straw mulch limits the weeds’ access to sunlight, thereby stifling emerging weed seedlings. Before applying mulch, weed the garden as thoroughly as […]
Take Your Schoolyard Garden a Step Further
With the school year in full swing and schoolyard gardens planted all over the city we are well into our fall gardening season! Your schoolyard garden is a unique element to your school community. It showcases pride in your school, provides hands-on learning, and exposes your students to fresh vegetables and fruit. Your students already […]
Why are my salad greens flowering?
You’ve got your fall school garden planted on time, you’re watering every day, and you’re excited to get those salad greens early on in the season. But one day you notice that all of a sudden some of your plants shoot up a flower stock. While pretty, these flowering plants are not good news for gardeners. […]
Vegetables as Natural Dyes to Use in the Art Room
Vegetables from your schoolyard garden not only feed students, their bright colorations can also spark some creativity! Students who enjoy beets in the spring and fall will notice that the dark red juices from the beets can stain hands, and even clothes. Because of its strong red color, beets can be used to dye fabric, yarn, […]
5th Graders at John Fiske Elementary Plant Their Fall Vegetable Garden!
Fifth graders at John Fiske Elementary in Kansas City, Kansas were eager to get their fall garden planted! On only their second day of the school year, three classrooms came out to weed their garden and prepare the soil for new plants and seeds. Built in 2012 through Kansas City Community Gardens, the garden produces […]
Preparing Your Schoolyard Garden for Fall Planting
With most schools back in session this month, it’s time to start thinking about your fall garden! KCCG’s Schoolyard Garden staff are here to assist you with your garden in any way that we can, but for teachers and garden coordinators working independently, here are some helpful tips for getting your garden started. Decide what […]
Game On: KCPS Convocation Welcomes the New School Year
The Kansas City Public School District held its Convocation for the 2016-2017 school year on Aug. 10, ushering in the new academic year. Over 2,500 teachers and staff members from every school in the district were in attendance. The theme for this year’s convocation: “Game On!” Teachers and principal representatives from each of the district […]
Kansas City Public Schools Prepare for New School Year
Our Schoolyard Gardens team partners with a number of school districts and agencies throughout the Kansas City area. It is our hope and goal to make schoolyard gardens as common as playgrounds and libraries at every school in the metro. With each school we work with we seek to expose the students to new and […]