Gardening for Young Learners

In this gardening class, we will talk about the basics of gardening: 
I will do my best to keep group classes sectioned into similar ages as well as learning goals. with younger learners, we will talk more about the basics of what plants need. Depending on the specific learner(s) plans, experience, and learning desires, we may focus more on the science of plants rather than gardening techniques. 

Learners can participate in an exciting trial of growing their own vegetable plant from seed in a pot that can later be transplanted outside!

Here is a sample of how a typical class succession may go:

Week one- 3/11:  What do plants need to grow? We will talk about what plants need and how to provide them with what they need. We will talk about fertilizer as well as how to make our own at home with just old table scraps! We will plant our seed(s) in our pots, water it, find a good sunny window to put it by, and make a plan to take care of it!

Week two -3/18:  Companion planting and Garden planning! Learners will be encouraged to remember key points learned last class about what plants need to grow. Next we will talk about companion planting: which plants are good friends and can be planted next to one another and which cannot. We will  talk about things like insect control with flowers as helpful companions for drawing in helpful (and cute!) predator bugs like Mantis! We will also observe our sprouted seeds!

Week three - 3/25:  Trellising and pruning! Learners will be encouraged to remember key points learned last class about what plants are friends. We will talk about techniques for caring for our plants when they get bigger. We will talk about trellising plants that need it and how to prune. We will focus on the specific plants they plan to have in their own garden. We will observe our growing buds in our planters!

Week four - 4/1:  Review of all! We will go over everything and make sure learners understand what they will need to do to take care of their plant or garden! We will also cover any important tips and tricks they should know when caring for their plants. Specifics depends on type of plant(s) they are growing or plan to grow!