Public Health Association of BC

Program Overview

For the past three years, Farm to School BC has offered a free mentorship program for K-12 educators and community organizations dedicated to building or enhancing school gardens. This program equipped participants with valuable skills to cultivate thriving garden ecosystems, foster hands-on student learning, and encourage positive relationships with food. 

While we’re not hosting live sessions this year, the School Garden Mentorship (SGM) program continues to thrive as a comprehensive resource library. It reflects three years of collaboration with local experts and passionate school garden educators and advocates. Explore our collection of workshop recordings and recommended resources to support your school garden journey.

 

Table of Contents

Check out all of the topics in order or jump around to what most interests you in the moment. Each month aligns with the ideal time to engage with that content, helping you navigate a full year in the garden.

Jan: Establishing a School Garden Culture 

Feb: Designing Your School Garden and Crop Planning 

Mar: Classroom Growing and Building the Garden 

Apr: Outdoor Planting 

May: Summer Maintenance and Volunteer Management 

Jun: Spring Harvest and Celebration 

Sep: Harvesting and Seed Saving 

Oct: Winterizing Your Garden 

 

 

January
Establishing a School Garden Culture
A garden committee contributes to a positive culture around the school garden, which reduces burnout, leads to a more sustainable garden, and helps build the school garden movement across the school district. 

  • Build a garden committee with clear goals
  • Define the roles of your team
  • Consider school district policies
  • Explore community connections


Support Material

 

 

February
Designing Your School Garden and Crop Planning
School gardens vary widely in their designs, and should be thoughtfully designed to align with how students will use them. Plan what crops to grow and when to plant them. 

  • Select plants to align with your garden goals
  • Garden design: learn about garden location, bed shape, fencing, irrigation, pathways, accessibility, and more
  • Engage your class with garden design
  • Explore crop planning resources to align harvest with the school calendar


Support Materials

 

 

March
Classroom Growing and Building the Garden
Curious to try growing seedlings in the classroom to later transplant in your garden? March is the time to start seedlings indoors, as well as build your outdoor growing space. 

  • Grow seeds in the classroom
  • How to build a grow station
  • Build and install garden beds
  • How to get help from your community


Support Materials

 

 

April
Outdoor Planting
Learn how to plant seeds and seedlings with your students, and how to protect those seedlings from frost and vandalism. 

  • Plant with your class using Crop Cards
  • Scaffolding gardening skills for students
  • Deter vandalism with signage
  • Season extension and early Spring planting


Support Materials

 

 

May
Summer Maintenance and Volunteer Management
Learn about different ways to organize garden care for July and August and plan for September in the garden. 

  • Summer Maintenance Guide
  • How to manage summer volunteers
  • Planning for the Fall
  • Drought-wise gardening


Support Materials

 

 

June
Spring Harvest and Celebration
Celebrate your garden with students and staff to build positive rapport and support for the garden. Cook up spring recipes and enjoy tasting the fruits of your labour. 

  • Host a harvest celebration or garden tour
  • Spring garden recipes
  • Connect the garden to school festivities


Support Materials

 

 

September
Harvesting and Seed Saving
Bring students back into the garden and learn how to harvest crops, save seeds and connect the garden to the kitchen. 

  • Seed saving with students
  • Seed stewardship lessons and activities
  • Harvest celebration and preservation


Support Materials

 

 

October
Winterizing your Garden
Prepare your garden and soil for the winter. Protect cold hardy plants for winter harvest, and build soil nutrients over the winter for spring planting. 

  • Winterize your garden
  • Season extension and winter planting
  • Soil care 
  • Cover crops and green manure


Support Materials

 

 

School Garden Support Resources