I have the students start our vegetables direct sow from seed. There are three reasons for this - one, we don't want to use all those plastic pots, trays and potting soil. That is not an environmentally sound choice. The second reason is economic - so that they can see that you can just plant a seed and have a plant - often with seeds saved from last year's plants. If you purchase a packet of seeds, you can have MANY plants, as opposed to buying a starter six pack or 4" at the nursery. The third reason is so that they can see the full cycle of nature - from seed to flower to fruit, and back to seed again.
If you want to plant a garden though, you probably have a limited amount of space. Quite often one season's vegetables are not quite ready to harvest, but it is time to set out the next ones. For instance, our garlic and onions need about 2-3 weeks more before they are ready to harvest, but it's warm enough to start pumpkins and tomatoes. Because of the listed reasons above, we wait in the Garden, harvesting when things are ready, and don't do seed starting. We also allow some of the plants to go to seed so that they students can see that full cycle. You, however, should harvest when things are ready, but do some seed starting to get ahead.
You may not have heard of soil blocks. It is a method created by an organic gardener, Eliot Coleman. It does not use any of the plastic that is so bad for our environment. It is also better for the seedlings - they will transplant better and be healthier with this method. His book, The New Organic Gardener, is a great resource if you would like to learn how to grow your food without pesticides or herbicides. Here is a link with a brief look at soil blocks and why they are better for your plants. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/tools-supplies/soil-block-makers-eliot-coleman.html.
Our students are fortunate to have such a large space to grow food in - but it is still not large enough for everyone to have a strawberry! They learn very important things about growing food - how long it takes for things to be ready to harvest, how much space things need to grow, that there are many varieties of the familiar vegetables and fruit that they know. We teach them that all things have a purpose and a job in the garden, to have respect for nature and each other. I hope that this place sits somewhere in the back of their fertile minds, and the lessons learned find their way into adult life, whether conscious or not.
If you want to plant a garden though, you probably have a limited amount of space. Quite often one season's vegetables are not quite ready to harvest, but it is time to set out the next ones. For instance, our garlic and onions need about 2-3 weeks more before they are ready to harvest, but it's warm enough to start pumpkins and tomatoes. Because of the listed reasons above, we wait in the Garden, harvesting when things are ready, and don't do seed starting. We also allow some of the plants to go to seed so that they students can see that full cycle. You, however, should harvest when things are ready, but do some seed starting to get ahead.
You may not have heard of soil blocks. It is a method created by an organic gardener, Eliot Coleman. It does not use any of the plastic that is so bad for our environment. It is also better for the seedlings - they will transplant better and be healthier with this method. His book, The New Organic Gardener, is a great resource if you would like to learn how to grow your food without pesticides or herbicides. Here is a link with a brief look at soil blocks and why they are better for your plants. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/tools-supplies/soil-block-makers-eliot-coleman.html.
Our students are fortunate to have such a large space to grow food in - but it is still not large enough for everyone to have a strawberry! They learn very important things about growing food - how long it takes for things to be ready to harvest, how much space things need to grow, that there are many varieties of the familiar vegetables and fruit that they know. We teach them that all things have a purpose and a job in the garden, to have respect for nature and each other. I hope that this place sits somewhere in the back of their fertile minds, and the lessons learned find their way into adult life, whether conscious or not.