Popular Spaces in Your Garden

[Daniel Barrera Ortega]

Hi everyone!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful year so far. As folks prepare to plan their gardens for the warmer months, we want to gather some design inspiration!

We'd love to hear what spaces in your gardens are your students' or the community's favorite. Why are they so popular? Was it part of a community effort or how did you decide to include this space or structure in your garden?

If you're able to, we'd love to see pictures of these spaces or structures! I'm attaching this resource from Education Outside showing a few examples they consider essential for an outdoor classroom. 

I would also add some safe hideouts for kids to play and explore. I remember my students loved to sit in our trellis tent and look at birds during their recess time!

Looking forward to hearing from you all!

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Daniel Barrera Ortega Program Specialist School Garden Support Organization (SGSO) Network (He/Him) www.sgsonetwork.org

[awr...@mountainsongschool.com]

My students are HUGE fans of our "Dig Pit," which is exactly what is sounds like - a large area for students to safely use tools without danger of damaging any plants. Ours is directly in the ground, and in a spot where staff can easily keep an eye on students. If you want to replicate this, just make sure to check that there are no pipes, electrical lines, etc. that students could accidentally damage. You could also reserve a raised bed that is for digging if you don't have the space to do this directly in-ground. You could also add hidden treasures/prizes for students to find. We don't do this, but our students are constantly finding sticks or rocks that they claim to be "dragon eggs" or "dinosaur bones." The Dig Pit is also great for those students who are particularly disregulated and need a safe space to get out extra energy or aggression. Our SPED team constantly brings out students for one-on-one sessions in the Dig Pit. In my 6 years overseeing a Dig Pit at our school, we have never had any serious injuries, and the students do a great job working together and insuring that tools are used properly. The only downside is that we do have to fill the pit in every two-three years, as the pit eventually gets so large that we can literally not see our students when they stand at the bottom of it! This is the single greatest thing I recommend to any garden program if space allows! 

[Patrick Evans]

In my first school garden I took care of as a FoodCorps member, we had practically no shade. So in the corner of a large 10x20 concrete bed, I created the "Cozy Corner". It was a corner section of this large garden bed that had paths leading up to it and was surrounded by all types of flowers and plants. I had a small fence on the ground level, added a couple of small chairs, and planted Mammoth Sunflower seeds which created a wall of flowers to entirely shade that area. It was meant as a space for students or myself to get away from the larger group activities if they needed. I typically brought books outside and many students loved it!

[Anne Herndon]

Our compost area is a favorite spot!!  Over time we have expanded to 3 wire bins and a “graveyard.”  The graveyard is a spot where I put large sticks or weeds I don’t want going in the compost along with any other plant material not meant for compost. It’s a great overwintering area for insects.

Our fifth graders consistently ask to turn or sieve compost whenever they have free stations in the garden.

As with most schools, our cafeteria is great fodder for greens. I wander up and down the aisles every week or so  with buckets to pick up greens to add to the pile.

Best,

Anne Santana

Made Greene

Fort Worth, Tx

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[Anne Herndon]

LOVE, Love, love the idea of the mammoth Sunflowers!

Anne

On Thu, Mar 13, 2025 at 9:03 AM Patrick Evans <pev...@citybloom.org> wrote:

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[Erin Croom]

I love a Bean Tipi for kids to "hide in."

Also, when I was at the Edible Schoolyard last summer, they had a mulberry tree that grew to make a little fort - you could sneak inside and pick mulberries! 

Erin 

Check us out on Insta! 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/school-garden-network/CAEb2uaJO%3DKvb7zY1q2-QODtx%2BxvhEdT_-XbmJH9nRdy0-gM__w%40mail.gmail.com.

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