Build a Garden for Science Class

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I do not have a green thumb!  In fact, I kill most plants that we have in our home.  So why did I decide to build a garden?  Well, I thought it would be a great learning experience for the kids, and it has been. When we started gardening a handful of years ago, I searched for a method that would be easiest for the “gardening challenged”  (like me) to accomplish.  Due to our soil being hard and clay ridden, I decided I liked the concept of a raised garden bed.  A raised garden bed simply means that you build your garden on top of the existing soil. In our case, we dug about 4-6 inches down into the existing soil and added enough soil to raise it above ground 4-6 inches. We use the Square Foot Gardening  method for our raised beds.  Mel’s Square Foot Gardening Method is simple and easy.  It is based on gardening in 1′ x 1′  blocks. A simple way to start to build a garden is by building a 4′ x 4′ raised garden bed.  Buy some 2″ x 6″ boards, some wood lath baords, and some screws to make the frame for your raised garden.  Once your frame is built, you can fill it with “Mel’s Mix.” In my mind, what makes this Square Foot Garden method work so well for us is the specific combination of things that go into “Mel’s Mix,” which is the soil you will fill your raised bed with and ultimately plant your seeds/plants in.  You can buy the book  All New Square Foot Gardening to find out what the exact mix is, how to figure the right amount for your space, and so on.  You can also buy  Mel’s Mix already mixed and ready to use. I can honestly say that after years of gardening this way, without the mix my garden does not grow.  We had great success the first two years, but as the years have passed and I have not maintained the garden with Mel’s Mix, I have had much less success with growing anything in that space. Use a Square Foot Garden Chart to determine what plants you are going to plant and how many you can plant per square foot.  For example, in a 1’x1′ square you could plant one tomato plant, 2 corn plants, or 16 radish plants. In 2011 after having gardened for a year or two, we decided we were ready to expand our garden space.  You can check out how we took the Square Foot Garden Method and made two 4′ x 8′ raised beds. You can also find the website we used to make a digital plan of our planting layout. Below are some great unit studies and articles related to gardening. I think you will enjoy these resources, and I hope you’ll jump in and decide to plant your own garden with your children!

Build a Garden Unit Resources:

• Square Foot Gardening Lesson Plan for Children
• Homeschool Creations Garden Preschool Pack
• Amanda Bennett Gardens Unit Study (Grades K-12)
• Artistic Nature Unit Studies: Gardening

Other Garden Related Articles:

• Plant Yourself a Garden
• Homeschool Gardening
• 7 Medicinal Herbs To Grow in Your Garden 
• 5 Reasons To Choose Heirloom Seeds When Planting Your Garden
• Dole Garden Kit Review

Do you have a garden at your house?  Consider building one with your children.  It counts as science class, saves money, provides a great family activity, and may become something you really enjoy! If you already garden with your children, what do you like to grow? Have you had much success? Please share your “secrets” in the comments!