Our school recently moved to a new campus, and while the grounds hold great potential, students currently have no outdoor, hands-on science option and no way to connect classroom learning to the natural world around them. This project establishes a Gardening Club that gives students in grades 4–8 the chance to plant, tend, and harvest real crops right on campus.
The club addresses three needs at once: it gives students a hands-on science experience our new campus doesn't yet offer, it builds practical life skills (planning, patience, responsibility, nutrition) that carry well beyond the classroom, and it nurtures a sense of wonder and gratitude for God's creation — a core value of our school's mission. Southwest Florida's growing season makes this an ideal, low-cost way to bring life science outdoors.
This project directly supports Florida's science standards for life science, including:
SC.4.L.16.4 – Compare and contrast the major stages in the life cycles of Florida plants
SC.4.L.17.2 & SC.4.L.17.4 – Explain how energy moves from producers through the food chain, and how plants and humans impact the environment
SC.5.L.14.2 – Compare and contrast the function of plant structures (roots, stems, leaves)
SC.5.L.17.1 – Compare adaptations that help plants survive in their environment
SC.7.L.17.1–17.3 – Explain the roles of producers and consumers, relationships among organisms, and limiting factors in a local ecosystem
Because our school integrates faith throughout the curriculum, the club also ties directly to our school's priority of forming students spiritually and character-wise — students will explore stewardship of creation (Genesis 2:15) and reflect on patience and gratitude as they wait for what they've planted to grow.
The Gardening Club will meet weekly, before school, from early October through late February, in 35–40 minute sessions timed to Southwest Florida's cooler growing months. The club sponsor will check on the garden during the winter break so plants are cared for continuously.
Each session blends hands-on garden work with instruction:
- Students will learn to plant, water, prune, and harvest a variety of crops suited to our SW Florida growing season
- They'll use real garden tools (shears, pruners, trellises) and track their plants using markers and simple growth logs
- Students will taste what they grow and share the harvest with the broader school community, connecting their work to nutrition and generosity
- Lessons will fold in Florida-specific plant science (life cycles, plant structures, ecosystems) alongside a faith-based thread on stewardship — the idea that we are called to tend and care for what God has entrusted to us, and that ultimately He is the one who makes things grow (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)
The garden will live in raised, movable GreenStalk planters placed near the school's main entrance, so the club's work is visible and enjoyed by the whole school community — students, families, and visitors — every time they arrive on campus. The planters can be relocated ahead of severe weather, protecting the investment.
Importantly, this club is designed as Phase 1 of a longer-term vision. Starting with a small, manageable club (4–12 students in grades 4-8) lets us build know-how, establish routines, and test out what grows well in our specific location before scaling up. If successful, we intend to pursue in-ground raised beds that would allow us to offer an elective class for middle school students as well as garden-based lessons for elementary school students throughout the year — expanding this project's reach toward our full student body of roughly 170+ students over time.
By the end of the club, students will be able to:
- Start, maintain, and harvest a home garden — a life skill that extends well beyond the club itself.
- Identify what different plants and crops grow well in our Southwest Florida climate and why.
- Practice patience and mindfulness, developing an appreciation for slowing down and being grateful for growth that can't be rushed.
- Articulate a growing appreciation for God's creation and their role in caring for it
We will measure success through:
- Photo documentation of the garden and student work throughout the club's run.
- Actual harvest yield — what was grown, and how much was harvested and shared with the school.
- Plant growth measurements, tracked by students on their garden markers/logs over the course of the season.
- Together, these give us both a qualitative and quantitative picture of the club's impact, and create a simple baseline we can build on if we move into Phase 2 (in-ground beds for elective courses and garden-based lessons).
Every item in our budget is garden equipment directly used by students each session — planters and trellises to grow in, shears and pruners for students to safely tend and harvest their own plants, markers so each student can track their own crop, and movers so the planters (and the students' work) are protected from extreme weather rather than lost. Two 5-tier vertical planters give a small club (4–12 students) enough individual growing space to each take ownership of part of the garden, while keeping the footprint small enough to sit prominently near the school's main entrance. This is a one-time equipment investment: the planters and tools will be reused each growing season as the club (and hopefully the broader gardening program) continues in future years. The seeds and seedlings for this season have already been promised as a donation to the school.
1364
Garden Shears x 2
64
Garden Pruner x 2
64
GreenStalk Trellis – Set of 3 x 4 sets
224
GreenStalk Seed House – Set of 6 x 2 sets
24
Wooden Plant Marker – Set of 100 x 1 set
10
GreenStalk Mover x 2
160
GreenStalk Garden Lid, Stunning Stone x 2
72
5-Tier GreenStalk Original Vertical Planter, Evergreen x 2
596
3 bags of potting soil + 1 bag of compost per planter, x 2 planters
