Urban Gardening: Growing in Small Spaces

Each week, students will learn simple, but useful tips on how to plant and grow food in a small space. Learning how to grow a garden is a valuable life skill even for those students that live in town. Students will be encouraged to try and start their own small garden, but it is not required for this course. 

Class 1:
We will start class by taking a virtual tour of my growing space (depending on the time of year)
Students will identify what growing zone they live in and the importance of knowing. Once students identify their growing zone, they will figure out when the last project frost is and count back to identify when they should start planting things indoors. We will also discuss what plants can be grown in their zone.
Discussion -
What are the different ways to grow in small space?
Where can we grow?
What type of soil should we get?
Organic or not?
Brainstorming activity - Figure out what kinds of things you'd like to plant in a garden based on things you already eat.
HOMEWORK (optional): Students will need to get 2+ plastic containers, herb seeds, and soil to start their own herb garden OR students can buy a seed tray to start sprouting plants for a larger garden. 


Class 2:
Discussion - What are you going to plant?
We will -
- Calculate how much a student needs to grow in order to feed the whole family
- Figure up how much space the student has to grow
- Modify their plans and finalize them
- Write up a chart noting when they should start planting
Class activity - Plant our seeds
HOMEWORK: Students will need to finalize their real or hypothetical garden plans.

Class 3:
We will -
- Discuss common problems with starting seeds indoors and how to prevent them
- Learn about efficient spacing and using trellises to maximize their planting
- Look at several different types of trellises
- How to test your soil and what to do about deficiencies
- Compare the cost of starting plants from seeds and buying plants
- Look at the progress of our seeds
Class Activity - I will conduct a soil test on my soil and we'll discuss what things I need to add.
HOMEWORK: Students will be encouraged to get a kit and test their soil ( These can be gotten at Walmart or a similar store).

Class 4:
We will -
- Learn about composting and how to get a compost started
- Discuss the different types of compost bins and what should be put in them
- Learn how to prune various plants to save space and increase production
- Discuss plant diseases and pests
- Share our progress with our seeds