Enticing New Gardeners!

Sarah Vogelzang encouraged me to share the "Garden Menu" I offered teachers at Annette and High Park this spring. I hope you find something to get new gardeners excited and empowered. I posted this in the staffroom for a few weeks in April with a sign-up sheet. This year we have 7 classes planting - a 700% increase in garden engagement!

Join us in The Learning Garden!
Grow fruits and vegetables and make connections to science, healthy living, history, social studies, geography, math, art, language arts and great tasting food!

Purple Pea Eaters
People have enjoyed eating peas for over 7,000 years! To celebrate Earth Hour students planted 7 different varieties of peas around the school’s fence. Peas include Sugar Snaps and Purple-podded Capucijners.

Oriental Greens
Kick off spring in April with a zing of oriental greens — bokchoi, tatsoi, giant red mustard, shiso, daikon and snow peas. Add to the flavour punch with ginger, turmeric and lemongrass. Plant greens April and/or September. Transplant sprouted roots late May.

Global Trade Routes
How did okra find its way from Ethiopia to Iran, Greece, India, Brazil, Louisiana and even Vietnam? Who brought chili peppers from Mexico to the Philippines, where they spread like wildfire to India, China, Korea and Japan? Exploring global trade routes and cultural pathways, this garden includes: okra, chili peppers, cumin, cilantro, callaloo, tomatillos, and tomatoes. Plant mid-May.


First Nations Garden
Alongside the 3 Sisters (corn, beans and squash), plant sunflowers, Jerusalem artichokes, ground cherries and pumpkins. Discover the rich cultural history of these crops grown for over 6,000 years in central and South America. Plant mid-May.

Pizza Slice
Plant zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers alongside other tasty pizza flavours: basil, oregano and marjoram. Investigate the history of pizza, a surprisingly multicultural dish. Plant mid-May.

Settler Garden
Early Canadian settlers brought carrots, peas and beets with them from Europe, along with onions, parsnips, potatoes and peas. Grow staple foods that store well to see a family through a long hard winter. Great ingredients for making Stone Soup! Includes dill, sage, thyme. Plant April through May and/or September.

Ancient Grains
Before Wonder Bread…Neolithic humans discovered that the grains of wild grasses could be ground into a tasty meal. Explore the fascinating history of ancient grains: plant Stone Age black einkorn and Bronze Age spelt alongside Temuco Quinoa (Aztec), Bronze Millet (China), Zanduri Wheat (Georgia) and Purple Barley (Ethiopia). Plant April and/or September.

Bean Keepers
Grow tasty beans and learn about the importance of seed diversity. This year we are growing 14 varieties of beans! Ireland Creek, Baie Verte Indian, Orca, Thibodeau de Comte Beauce, Red Cranberry, Mennonite Purple Stripe, Chinese Yardlong (grows to 75cm!), Trionfo Violetto, Scarlet Runner, Arikara Yellow, Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean, Black-seeded Italian, Purple Peacock, and Hutterite Soup bean. Plant May.