look good to community members, but they get to make an impression on young consumers who are involved in the project and educators who are able to talk about their business in a positive light for years to come to future students. Don’t be overwhelmed by the grant-writing process. Our native garden project received four different grants. Each one was easy to follow and submit. The process is time-con- suming, so don’t wait until the last minute to write and submit each proposal.
keeps students accountable to someone other than you, and makes them realize that this isn’t just a school project. It is meaningful to people locally who are concerned about the environment. I believe that such a project can be a beacon of change for the community.
Proper layout Choosing a proper layout for your garden can make or break the project. Before you begin, assess your location. Does your soil have a high clay or sand content? How much sun does the area get? How moist is the soil naturally? What is the pH of your soil? Again, this is another great time to give your students roles in figuring out these parameters. Have your students design a test to discover the various answers. Consider getting them to take samples and reach out to a county or university extension office to find out what they have. One word of advice from experience: use tall grasses
either sparingly or not at all if you have a small space to work with. Tall grasses tend to spread rapidly throughout a garden. Most germinate easily and spread seeds by wind dispersion. They will then quickly choke out flowering plants within two to three seasons of growth if not con- trolled. Plus, their long roots will make them difficult to remove once established.
Grant proposals One of the most intimidating parts to this process might be securing funding. I have found that native plant gar- dens on school grounds can be very affordable with the help of grants and funding from community organizations. Our native plant garden is around an acre in size. The cost adds up quickly, especially if you plan to forgo planting seeds, plant plugs, or use small potted plants. But again, here’s another chance to get your students involved. Have them research possible grants or brainstorm a list of busi- nesses in the community you could write letters to or even go see in person regarding funding. One of the biggest les- sons I’ve learned over the years is that businesses want to help out with projects like this. Not only does it make them
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What if my garden is out of control!? At this point, you may have read through the article and thought to yourself, “This information would have been useful to me several years ago, but I need help with a garden that I’ve implemented and it’s out of control!” I know the feeling. Help is on the way. Again, the solution lies with your students. Maybe it’s time to rally the troops and stoke the embers of that initial excitement your students had when you first implemented the garden.
Communication at this point is key. If you are struggling
to maintain your native garden on your school grounds, figure out what it will take to get the garden usable and aes- thetically pleasing again. Depending on the severity of the overgrowth, you may need to call in a specialist. Again, contacting your county or local university extension office may be the first place to start. This is also the point at which your connections with community experts can become valu- able. Find out what they might recommend and start there. Or better yet, have your students take action and make those calls. It’s valuable for students to learn that it’s okay to ask for help and seek advice. Chances are your students have also noticed that your
native garden needs work. Make it a problem for them to fix. Just like when the garden was first planted, this creates own- ership and buy-in and can foster inquiry. This way, it doesn’t turn into you demanding them to come help you pull inva- sive weeds that have taken over your garden; it turns into the students solving a problem and having their say. Be sure to have them identify what young native plants look like so that they’re not pulled out; let them flourish and fill in space to block out more weeds. Once your garden is back under control, regular main-
tenance is a must. Even though a native garden is going to look different from a nicely manicured landscape, you should still remove invasive weeds and thin out areas that have become overgrown. I have discovered two solutions to this. First, our native pollinator plot has one student who is in charge of this area. This student is kind of like the head groundskeeper for the area. We choose students that have a passion for the environment and are hard-working. They come in periodically throughout the summer to check on the plot, weed a little, and communicate with me as to whether or not we need to have a pollinator plot clean-up day. The pollinator plot clean-up day is the second line of defense to keep the plot looking good, while also allowing students to stay invested in the area. Essentially, we try to make the day a relaxed atmosphere where students work to remove inva- sive weeds, but also get time to hang out. We cook out, eat
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