How to start a school garden

Thank you for considering starting a native plant school garden! Kids need access to nature and you are awesome for undertaking this initiative that connects kids with nature while helping pollinators thrive.

Step 1: Build your garden team!

Before you start planning your garden, we encourage you to reach out and build a team around you. Not only will this help with the long-term sustainability of your project, it will also spread the workload around so that it does not rest only on your shoulders. 

Here is a list of people to talk to for your consideration:

  • Parent Council: Explore if they have an environmental committee you can reach out to, or if there is a possibility to create one for your garden.The Council might have access to funding or could help facilitate connections with teachers so it’s a great place to start.
  • Principal: Seek permission to establish a school garden and determine what resources you will have access to during the project.
  • Teachers: Collaborate to embed the garden into curriculum (science, art, math, language) so that the students really use the garden. We will suggest some child-friendly, educational activities to get students engaged with the native pollinator garden that are organized by season and subject.
  • Parents: Some parents will step up to help. Use platforms like WhatsApp or email lists to build a network for communication and watering/maintenance schedules.
  • Custodial / maintenance staff: Ensure plans align with school safety and upkeep requirements.Having them on-board and helping will ensure the longevity and success of the garden.  
  • Community members: Local programs, neighbours, or others might be interested in helping out. 

Step 2: Plan your garden (September to December)

  • Pick your garden site: Look for a sunny, accessible location with good drainage and proximity to watering. 
  • Choose your garden type: Decide if you will create raised beds or grow directly in the soil. Mark the space with a sign to show it is intentional.
    • A raised bed is a garden area elevated above the surrounding ground, typically used for planting. You can build it using a wooden frame or low metal edging. One advantage of this approach is that it clearly defines the space as a purposeful planting area. However, a drawback is the cost since constructing the borders and filling the bed with soil can be expensive. To help offset these costs, consider partnering with local businesses to request donations of soil or mulch. ChipDrop is also an option to source free mulch. 
    • You can also grow directly in the ground without building a raised bed. To do so, you can follow these steps:
      • Cut your lawn as short as possible in the area you want to plant.
      • Water the area thoroughly where you want to remove your grass.
      • Define the planting area by cutting the grass with an edging tool, digging a shallow trench, or outlining the area with rocks or sticks.
      • Add one layer of cardboard and/or 10 newspaper sheets, making sure to extend it into the trench. Overlap the edges so that no light can get through. Soak the cardboard and/or newspaper to help it to stay in place.
      • Add a 1 – 2 inch (2.5 – 5 cm) layer of organic material such as soil, dried leaves, twigs, wood chips, and/or mulch.
      • Thoroughly water the organic material and continue watering regularly.

        This method is inexpensive to set up, which makes it a great option for school gardens with limited budgets. However, one drawback is that the planting area may not look as intentional as a raised bed. Without clear borders, it’s also more likely to be accidentally mowed or stepped on. To help prevent this, consider adding signs, painted rocks, or natural edging to mark the space clearly.

How you can involve students in planning and designing a pollinator garden.

Choose native plants: Have students design their dream pollinator garden using native plants.
Draw a garden map: Make sure it is laminated for use by students. Share electronic and paper copies with the office, any teachers, and maintenance staff who will be working in the garden.
Build signage: Draw one sign for each plant using weather proof materials. This will also prevent mistakenly weeding out the plants. 
Create pollinator research projects: Assign different pollinators (bees, butterflies, beetles) for students to research and present and ask them how we can attract these pollinators to our garden.

Step 3: Winter sowing (December – February)

  • Collect clear containers or jugs (milk or juice containers) to winter sow seeds and drill holes at the bottom of the jugs.
  • Partner with local landscapers or businesses for donations of soil, mulch, gloves, or tools.

How to involve students in winter preparation

Set up winter sowing stations. Set up four stations and get the kids to fill jugs with soil, sprinkle seeds, write labels, and an area to make envelopes. Rotate kids from one station to the next. Involve the kids in moving the jugs outside. More details on winter sowing are available on the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library site. 
Explore the science of hibernation: Explore how pollinators survive winter—make paper models of bee nests or butterfly cocoons.
Read pollinators stories: Read books like The Reason for a Flower.
Get the kids to keep seedlings moist: Have them add snow or water the jugs to keep them moist at all times.

Step 4: Spring transplanting (March–June)

  • Watch for growth: Seedlings should be about 1-inch tall before transplanting.
  • Transplant seedlings after frost danger passes (usually late May in Ottawa).
  • Create paths to allow for weeding and walking in the new garden.

How to involve students in planting

Have kids water seedlings: seedlings should be kept moist at all times. 
Plant seedlings: ask kids to transplant them.
Conduct research: on insect-plant relationships observed in the garden. 
Create pollinator journals and track insects found in the garden.
Track plant growth: in a journal, have students observe how species grow.

Step 5: Summer maintenance (June-August)

  • Mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Do not make a volcano around the plants, leave a diameter of 2 inches without mulch at their base to allow the water to reach their roots.
  • Water deeply bi-weekly, especially in the first year. Ask parents or staff to sign up for weekly watering duties. 
  • Weed by hand – avoid chemicals that harm pollinators. Create a long-term maintenance plan to weed and mulch the garden regularly. Use the map to ensure that volunteers are weeding out invasive and non-native plants and not what you planted! 
  • Mulch again if needed to reduce weeds and maintain moisture.
  • Add shallow water dishes to provide water for animals and insects.

Step 6: Fall learning & seed saving (September–December)

  • Observe garden life: many pollinators overwinter in stems and leaves—avoid fall cleanup!

How to involve students in seed saving

Collect seeds from mature flowers and teach seed saving.The Ottawa Wildflower Seed library can come and do a free demonstration.
Make seed envelopes to save your seeds.
Harvest and label seeds: Show students how to collect, dry, and sort seeds from mature plants.
Study life cycles and hibernation: Explore how pollinators prepare for winter and depend on native plants.
Create outreach materials: Design posters, announcements, or presentations to teach others about pollinators and their role in the garden.

Step 7: Year 2 and beyond

  • You will not need to water: The plants will be established.
  • You will need to weed from time to time to keep unwanted plants from taking over and to thin native plants. 
  • Keep an eye on mulch: If the mulch becomes sparse, get mulch again to reduce the amount of potential weeds.

Activities with kids once the garden is established

Draw pictures of plants: using coloured pencils, observe and draw blooming plants.
Compare plants: have students describe the differences between plants of their stems, blooms, and leaves arrangement. 
Research on pollinators and other insects: spend some time outside to identify pollinators and other insects. Conduct research on observed pollinators and insects, then present findings to the classroom.
Create a flower journal: choose one plant to monitor for a certain period of time and record pollinators and insects visiting it.

Additional resources