Suggested timing: April
Tending a garden involves the active and ongoing process of observing plants as they grow, and maintaining the garden in the appropriate conditions.
Short film: Tending to the Garden
1. Checking on the growing plants
Successful growing of food in planters, or confined spaces like gardens, is dependent on having adequate space both above and underneath the ground to enable healthy growth. Ongoing observations of seedlings as they grow is important, to check if these conditions are being met.
2. Observing and measuring growth
Plant growth can be observed and measured both in numbers and with verbal and drawn descriptions. Through measurements, children can appreciate that similar plants may display different growth rates, that is, the height and length of the stems over time.
Through verbal descriptions, children can pay attention to the appearance of the plant - does it look healthy? What does healthy mean? Features observed may include:
- Strength of the leaves and stems - a healthy plant will have sufficient water content to ensure all green parts are strong and turgid
- Colour - discoloration of the leaves may indicate a lack of nutrients in the soil
- Presence (or not) of parasites.
3. Weed watch!
The garden space is inhabited by many living things. Some may be occasional visitors like cats or dogs for example, who may leave traces! Cat poo may need to be regularly removed from the growing space.
The soil will also attract other plants which had not been intended to grow in the garden, such as weeds. The term 'weed' is often used negatively to refer to unwanted plants in the growing space - this is mostly because they compete with the crops for water, light, and soil space. However, weeds are an important source of food for insects and particularly pollinators (such as bees).
You have reached the end of this unit. To assess your knowledge before starting the next unit, please complete the short quiz found at the link below.
Please note: you will have to enter your email address at the start of each unit quiz if you wish to be sent a Garden Schools Certificate of Completion once you have worked through all 8 units and quizzes.