Creating a piece of tangible art, such as the formal


design, without digital technology is useful. For those who feel they lack artistic skills, the paper method still holds validity. Allowing students to complete designs without the aid of digital technology pushes the threshold of com- fort zones in a technologically driven world, as considering space and appropriate scale encourages students to solve problems. The plane (top) view is the most common and easiest to


create and is the image that most people think of when envi- sioning landscape designs. The typical scale is 1 inch equals 10 feet. For those students with more refined artistic skills, the elevation view is recommended, even though it is not to scale. The elevation view is drawn from the perspective of an individual standing on the street staring at the garden; thus, only one side of the area to be designed is visible.


Step 6: Site preparation and


implementation This is the time to get dirty (including the teacher) and a great time to demonstrate the physical, sweaty, dirty side of horticulture. Most kids love this part, and it often generates support from parents and perhaps the Physical Education (PE) teachers, who may look to gardening as an alternate activity. Because students will get dirty, hot, and sweaty, scheduling site work at the end of the school day, during cooler weather, or after class for community service hours is strongly recommended and will result in more positive outcomes. Maintenance staffers can be your best friends if you


demonstrate you have a maintenance plan. Donuts and cof- fee will often entice them to assist in preparing the area for you if you are constrained. For smaller students, the efforts of the maintenance staff are invaluable, as they help to loosen soil and dig holes, especially when the shovels are taller than most 5th-graders.


The first step is making sure the site is prepared for


planting. Locating and marking underground utility lines is an absolute must. If anyone has an available tiller, use it, but it’s not necessary for the entire area to be turned over. My students have created successful gardens despite bypass- ing this stage. Either way, digging the proper-sized hole for plants increases the rate of survival. The hole needs to be slightly deeper as well as larger in diameter than the pot and with backfill in the hole for roots to navigate faster and easier through loosened soil. I have also been successful by not amending the soil in the entire area. Simply putting a handful of manure in the hole and allowing mulch to do its job often works. There is the issue of clearing the area of ‘weeds.’ If at all


costs, try to avoid using chemicals. I would suggest laying out cardboard or a tarp to slowly kill the undesired weeds or have students create ‘green’ weed killers from vinegar and baking soda. Determining which concoction works the most effectively could be the starting point for a long-term project. Digging the holes for plants is definitely a lesson to


learn. For time logistics, this is a great time for parents and maintenance staff to buy into the project and have owner- ship by being a part of the process. If the plants are laid out ahead of time by students, then older students and adults can go ahead and ‘prep’ your site for planting. All facets of proper planting must be shown; otherwise, you will end up with plants sitting several inches above the surround- ing soil line with no soil packed in the hole around the root ball. Assign students as the quality control auditors to check each plant. This is a great task for those students that need to be placed in a leadership role. Eventually you will find all students want to have this job. Asking students to call you over during each step is helpful so that you can ensure that proper care is taken with your plants. What has worked well for me is holding contests with other class rotations. The


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