By Lily McNulty, Wylde Center Education Intern & Graduate Research Assistant at Rollins School of Public Health
On March 9th, 2023, School Programs Coordinator Dory Cooper met with the local educational community to discuss spring planting. Here are some of the essentials:
First, prepare to plant
- Sometimes this can feel very overwhelming – there are empty beds, beds may be falling apart, or they’re full of last season’s plants that haven’t been removed.
- So, just go outside and assess. You may need to:
- Remove dead plants, or harvest what you can!
- Remove weeds that are taking up space for seeds
- Amend soil with compost (we have some compost bins at Wylde Center!)
- Add 1-2 inches of fresh soil
- Make any necessary repairs
How do you know what to plant? What can we plant right now?
- There are four seasons of planting:
- Seed packets will often have planting dates based on the “last frost” date
- Spring (February-April, average last frost March 23rd): cool weather
- Summer (May-August): tomatoes, peppers, herbs, flowers, warm/hot weather crops
- Fall (September-November, Average first frost November 13th): cool weather crops
- Winter (December-January)
Some other resources include:
- USDA Plant Hardiness zone map: Atlanta is in Zone 7B – this will inform you when you can plant specific crops
- Georgia Organics planting calendar for Zone 7B is another great reference
Seeds versus transplants
- Direct sow: aka plant into the garden
- Direct seed March-April
- Peas, carrots, lettuce, radish, spinach, potatoes
- They grow quickly, and many kids are familiar with them
- Transplant March-April
- Collards, kale, lettuce, cabbage
Who is going to take care of the garden?
- Create a maintenance plan
- Who will water the garden, and when?
- Wo will weed?
- Who will decide what to plant?
- Parents, volunteers, classrooms, etc.
- This can be a fun way to involve students, teachers, or families
Where can I find seeds and transplants?
- If your school is on a limited budget, you can find inexpensive seeds at grocery stores, hardware stores, etc.
- There are grants for school gardens
- Wylde Center provides 50% off for school garden
Questions from attendees:
Our school garden is just starting up again. Where would we find tools for a new garden?
- Grants for school gardens can be an effective way to start
- Forks for weeding are a great alternative as kids may not need to use tools
Is there a solution for keeping squirrels away from digging up seeds and transplants?
- There is no easy solution, you may need to relocate the garden to a place with limited trees
- Some folks put plastic forks (pointy side up) in their garden to deter them from digging
- Sprinkling cayenne pepper on crops has been said to work
Sweet potatoes: where do I start?
- Bury the sweet potato slip, you will see leaves and purple flowers growing, and in November you will harvest the sweet potatoes
- Sweet potatoes are a great option for your school garden because they require close to no maintenance