A Simple DIY Classroom Garden

Creating a classroom garden for your class brings with it many benefits!

A fantastic hands-on classroom project that reconnects your students with the natural world and the true source of their food! It also teaches them valuable gardening concepts and social responsibility!

However, a classroom garden has always been seen as a difficult task. Not only do you need to pitch the idea to decision makers, you need to raise the funds and juggle the tasks involved such as maintenance and the big set-up!

Now, I don’t claim to be a green thumb at all! So, if I have been able to create this garden, and it is still all alive, anyone can!!

It was super easy and best of all cheap (under $50).

What you need:

• Old pallet
• Roll of weed control fabric
• Staple gun
• Potting mix
• Your choice of herbs/vegetable/fruit seeds or plants
• Scissors

Step 1:

You may need help with this and the old pallets are very sturdy!

I would recommend getting this step done before you include the children!

Make sure you have at least 6 wooden slats that are in pairs to create the sides of each garden bed.

You may need to remove some slats and nail them back into position like the photo below.

Step 2:

Cut a piece of the weed control mat so that it overhangs the edge of the first garden bed.

Then, use the staple gun around the edge to fix it into place like the photo below.

Continue this process until each of the garden beds have been created!

Step 3:

It’s time to plant! Pour the potting mix in about three-quarters of the way and get planting!

Step 4:

Give the plants some love!

I found using a spray water bottle was the safest way to encourage children to water the garden.

Great for fine motor as well!

I love the way it turned out!

Best of all it doesn’t take up much room!

Safety Checks

• Send a letter home explaining what you will be doing with the class and the herbs or vegetables/fruits you will be planting. Just to check for allergies etc.
• Make sure the students are wearing gardening gloves during the process of planting and spraying natural fertiliser on the plants.
• Make sure you use store bought potting mix.