Planting 101, it’s titled.

Last week, I taught my planting lesson to a group of 8^th graders. It’s not my first time teaching the lesson; I’ve become a bit more comfortable with it but each time is different.

This time, we had a shortened day for a talent show in the afternoon; which meant: Speed Planting 101. That’s what I have started calling my modified lesson plan, although the students do not seem to find it very entertaining, it helps them move a little quicker. Ultimately, regardless of the time they tend to have a great time planting (and learning). And that’s one of the greatest benefits of moving students outside of the “classroom.” When desks, chalk boards, computers, are all taken out of the “classroom,” students experience a weird shift. 

Suddenly, they think of learning differently, at least for a little while.

Prep: This step is important, especially in Speed Planting 101. I take about 15 minutes to set up small containers; these are intended for growing starters for eventual transplant: one or two for each student. (I have found that even if larger containers are available the small trays of starter containers make it easier and faster for students to get several seeds planted in a short period of time.) Then, I dumped soil into large colorful containers and spaced them between a couple sets of containers. Note: Each student should have easy access to soil. If available, I place trowels in the buckets of soil, some students prefer this; others like to get their hands dirty(which ones like to work directly with the soil will likely be a bit of a surprise!), as one student noticed, after planting, “My hands look like a coal miner’s!” (This is the West Virginia, after all!) It’s also important to be sure water is available to water the seeds after planting, and for the students to wash up after they have finished planting.

Class begins: When class began I started with a simple “raise your hand if” question, “Who has planted from seed before?” From there, I moved on to introducing the fundamentals of planting. At 8^th grade, most students know everything needed to nurture seeds but typically, they need a refresher and time to think about what seeds will need to awake from their dormant state and begin to sprout and grow. The most important here is nutrients (soil), water, soil temperature (and less so, air temperature), and sunlight. Most often, students forget about soil temperature but this can be coaxed out of them. (I am currently working with a gifted class - my primary goal does not include Content Standards and Objectives; I am trying to help the students develop critical thinking and higher-level analytical skills.)

Onward, to planting: Once we cover the basics, I quickly moved to the essentials of planting. Soil in each cell or container of the trays first; be sure to lightly pack the soil. Then, the rule of thumb: seeds should be planted one length underneath the soil. For example, carrot seeds are tiny, so it is a good idea to fill containers with soil and then place a few seeds in each container, then sprinkle with a light layer of soil. With smaller seeds it has been helpful to tell students to pour their seeds into their non-writing hand and then pinch seeds to plant using their writing hand. Pumpkin seeds are large, so can be planted by gently pushing them into the soil with the larger end towards the bottom of the container. (Depending on the seed packet and the size of the class, students can also read their seed packets to try to decipher seeding depth. During Speed Planting however, I find this challenging, and go with the rule of thumb.) Next, the seeds should be covered with soil.

During planting I constantly moved about the “classroom.” Students had questions but were often hesitant to ask or better yet, they shared ideas that helped the rest of the students with their planting. (These ideas should be relished and shared with the class!)

(a student labeling their work for the day!)

As some students begin to finish planting their trays of containers, I asked them to begin to wash up. After, I asked students to label their trays with a piece of tape and permanent marker or pencil! Each label should contain the name of the plant and date. Usually, when time is available, I have asked students to gently water their seeds.

As the students washed up and finished labeling, I asked the students what they thought about their day planting. To this, one student asked if he could stay and plant in the greenhouse all day. (While I’d love that, I’d probably get in trouble, and miss a few content standards and objectives.)

An additional challenge I added to this speed lesson was inviting a local reporter, Kristen Conner to come and video the students planting. Hopefully, this will ultimately be part of a larger series and will display the goals of the program here, which include: teaching students about the business of gardening and farming, to show students that farming can be a career choice, and to build an interest in cultivating food and learning more about the food they eat on a daily basis. (This led to a short 45 second piece, that's too short for WVVA's website - but in the future, stay tuned: this reporter loves my students' greenhouse and gardening projects!)

Now, to what I learned: One of the greatest things about incorporating school gardening into schools is that often, students know more or know different intricacies of planting that I never could have imagined or anticipated. And that is awesome because teaching is great, but students teaching students; well, I love that!! For example, in a previous planting session, a student gently reminded me that carrots bunch, so really, they should be planted with at least a few seeds in each container. I had forgotten that. What a fantastic way to be reminded. 

My office, well, my office is a funny story.

This is one of my offices:

It is a greenhouse, attached to a school, in the Wild and Wonderful, West Virginia.

The conditions: It’s a little wet (which is concerning, especially when plugging in my laptop), impossible to keep clean, fluctuates in temperature from 60F to 85F (regardless of the thin windows and outdoor temperature), and the soil, the soil is pervasive. But it’s wonderful because it’s exactly what it should be and what it needs to be.

As a result, with the floors constantly wet, and the messy floors, I wear sandals; typically with a pair of jeans (rolled up because wearing real shoes is a recipe for a day with wet feet and pants, and that just makes me crabby). When my colleagues aren’t too familiar with what I do or the conditions of my office, I feel underdressed and a bit sloppy but then, to my students and my colleagues who I work with on a daily basis, my attire tells a different story.

And the story is great: The greenhouse is my office but then, it doubles as a classroom and triples as a fantastic environment for growing. I am currently working in this office with a few different classes of middle school students. I provide enriched learning opportunities for each student who enters the greenhouse. As I make stronger connections with teachers, I anticipate being able to work hand-in-hand with teachers to give them an alternative to teaching their State Content Standards and Objectives in their traditional classrooms.

My second office is also a greenhouse; it’s nearly a half-hour drive from the first. Here, there are sprouts shooting up from trays of starter containers. These seeds were planted a week ago with a lovely group of 7^th and 8^th grade boys. Their teacher was away the day they planted but this week she was back. They could not wait to show her what they’d planted; to tell her all about what they did the week before and to help me engineer an efficient and effective watering system. (An enriched learning experience.) Together, we walked down the hall to the greenhouse. Most of the way I worried; had I been there to water enough? Was the greenhouse warm enough through nights to keep the soil temperature between 60-70F, so the seeds could germinate?

While the students walked, filled with anticipation, I worried my way all the way to the greenhouse.

When we opened the door, I realized I wasted my time; the boys quickly discovered that we had sprouts! After seven days, and right on time, the spinach and basil had germinated and further, pushed their way through the thin layer of soil placed over them during planting. It was simple and natural really: nutrients, water, and warm soil and those seeds just popped up and out of the soil. By the end of the day, more shoots appeared. My worries and fears resolved.

And here's the funny part: If someone had told me, a year ago that this is where I’d be: walking down the hallway of a school in West Virginia, worrying about whether or not seeds had sprouted, and working in a greenhouse, teaching kids about gardening and food, and advocating for local food in school cafeterias; I would have laughed. It would have been an entertaining story. Last year, I was living in Boston, taking medical leave from working at a bakery and café after a horrific accident. Presently, more or less, I have recovered. And beyond that, I am pursuing my professional dream. So funny, this would have seemed comical a year ago but now, now it just makes me smile.

(Smile, despite the reoccurring worries of watering schedules over school breaks, constant concerns over the greenhouse failing, and trying to figure out how I can get more students out of the traditional classroom and into the greenhouse… and that’s just the beginning.)