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In Celebration of World Planting Day

Celebrate the arrival of Spring with World Planting Day on March 21, 2016. World Planting Day reminds us to start thinking about gardening and growing healthy, nutritious foods. As the days get longer and the temperatures begin to rise, focus shifts to thinking about outdoor activities, including getting your hands dirty reinvigorating or starting a garden. Gardeners start the planning process with questions such as: what nutrients will be help my garden grow this year, what new plants can we incorporate this year, what plants thrived the best in the garden last year, and should we expand the garden? Many people also wonder: should I start a garden?

Gardening does not have be an activity that only happens at home – bringing a gardening program to your local school allows students to participate in hands-on activities that get them outdoors, in the soil, and learning in new ways. It also links students to modern agriculture practices and food production. Teaching the skill of gardening and enabling students to grow their own food provides youth with a valuable life skill. Learning gardens give youth a sense of accomplishment and self-satisfaction when they see their efforts grow in front of their eyes. A school garden can help cultivate a lifelong passion for growing and it demonstrates how you can produce healthy food with just a few simple things.

School learning gardens aren’t complicated to create. They can be just a few pots with tomatoes and green peppers, or they can be a raised bed with multiple different veggies to make a tasty salad or salsa. Once a school has one successful season, students and teachers alike become excited and begin discussing plans for the following year.

Gardening is contagious and many students and teachers who enjoy the school learning garden create their own home gardens because they love the hands-on approach and the delicious fruits and vegetables.

To celebrate World Planting Day, start thinking about your school learning garden and celebrate by starting some of your longer season seeds, like tomatoes and peppers, in a seed starting kit or light garden. This allows you to transplant the bulbs in your garden as soon as Mother Nature allows!