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Planning Your Garden around the School Calendar
Dr. Leigh Whittinghill, Assistant Professor of Urban Agriculture
The first two steps in planning your school garden are finding a good (or as good as possible) location on site and determining how you will grow your crops. Crops can be raised in ground, in raised beds, or in containers. After that, you must decide what to grow.
When selecting crops to grow in your school garden, you should do or consider the following:
Work from an existing curriculum, such as the Junior Master Gardener curriculum
Plan around a garden theme, such as a salsa, pizza or ABC garden. For more information on planning a salsa garden, check out our fact sheet Making a Salsa Garden (KYSU-CEP-FAC-0018), available at https://www.kysu.edu/documents/college-of-agriculture-communities-the-sciences/salsagarden_2019.pdf
Showcase crops commonly found in the grocery store
Showcase crops or varieties not commonly found in the grocery store
Talk with other programs and teachers
Are there crops that fit with cultures or languages being taught?
Are there crops that fit with periods of history or literature being taught?
What crops might be useful in cooking, nutrition, or other Family and Consumer Sciences classes?
Check in with art and science teachers as well to see how they may be interested in using the garden space with their curricula
Once you have some ideas about what crops you would like to grow, you should make a plan or calendar for planting and harvesting activities. For some help with this, check out our fact sheet Developing a Crop Planting Calendar (KYSU-CEP-FAC-0078), available at https://www.kysu.edu/documents/school-of-agriculture-communities-and-the-environment/planting_calendar_with_tables_accessible_031021.pdf. School gardens do, however, have an added challenge of having to contend with the school calendar. Students are around in the spring and fall to help with garden activities but are
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often absent during the summer months. Depending on programming at a given school, there may be little to no supervision or maintenance over the summer months. The solution to this issue comes in three parts:
Plant spring crops that can be harvested by the students
Only plant summer crops that can be left unattended
Plant fall crops when the students get back to school
Spring Crops
Check that you have enough days between the earliest planting date and the end of school for the variety you have chosen
For crops that take less time to mature:
Count backwards from the end of school for the latest spring planting date
You may be able to get more than one harvest in with some plants (e.g. leaf lettuce and radishes)
in with some plants (e.g. leaf lettuce and radishes)
For crops that take more time to reach maturity:
You may be able to start transplants earlier
Look for more cold tolerant varieties so you can plant them a little earlier
If you are going to be around during the summer, try to time them so students see them when they are small, then pick them yourself later
Try to select varieties that mature faster
The following table shows some good candidates for spring crops, whether they should be planted from seed or as transplants, when transplants should be started, the earliest planting dates for Western/Central/Eastern Kentucky, and a range of how long it takes plants to mature (days to maturity). For more specific days to maturity, check the information for a specific variety from your seed supplier.
| Crops | Seed or Transplant | Date/Time to start Transplants | Earliest planting date | Days to maturity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beets | Seed | ----- | March 10/ March 15/March 20 | 55-60 |
| Head lettuce | Seed or transplant | 5-7 weeks | March 15/March 25/April 1 | 60-80 |
| Broccoli | Transplant | Feb. 5 | March 30/April 5/April 10 | 40-90 |
| Brussels sprouts | Transplant | Feb. 5 | March 30/April 5/April 10 | 80-90 |
| Cabbage | Transplant | Jan. 20 | March 15/March 25/April 1 | 60-100 |
| Endive | Seed or transplant | 3-4 weeks | March 15/March 25/April 1 | 60-90 |
| Kale | Seed or transplant | 4-6 weeks | March 10/March 20/April 1 | 50-60 |
| Kohlrabi | Seed | ----- | March 15/March 20/ March 25 | 50-70 |
| Leaf lettuce | Seed | ----- | March 15/March 25/April 1 | 30-50 |
| Mustard greens | Seed | ----- | March 15/March 25/April 1 | 28-60 |
| Peas | Seed | ----- | Feb 20/March 1/March 15 | 60-80 |
| Swiss Chard | Seed or transplant | 5-6 weeks | March 15/March 20/April 1 | 55-60 |
| Turnips | Seed | ----- | March 1/March 10/March 15 | 40-60 |
| Turnip greens | Seed | ----- | March 1/March 10/March 15 | 30-50 |
| Green onions | Seed or transplant | Late February to mid-March | March 10/March 20/ April 1 March 15/March 25/April 1 | 40-60 |
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Summer Crops:
Choose varieties that
will take the summer vacation to mature
will tolerate neglect (water, pests, etc.)
If possible, plant seed, transplants, slips right before school lets out and harvest when school is back in session
The following table shows some good candidates for summer crops, whether they should be planted from seed or as transplants, when transplants should be started, the earliest planting dates for Western/Central/Eastern Kentucky, and a range of how long it takes plants to mature (days to maturity). For more specific days to maturity, check the information for a specific variety from your seed supplier.
| Crops | Seed or Transplant | Date/Time to start Transplants | Earliest planting date | Days to maturity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green beans, pole | Seed | ----- | April 10/April 25/May 1 | 60-90 |
| Potatoes | Seed pieces or slips | ----- | March 15/March 15/March 20 | 90-140 |
| Lima beans | Seed | ----- | April 15/May 1/May 10 | 65-90 |
| Muskmelons | Seed or transplant | April 1, 3-4 weeks | April 20/ May 10/May 15 | 75-90 |
| Okra | Transplant | ----- | April 20/May 10/May 15 | 50-80 |
| Onions | Seed, transplant, or sets | 10-12 weeks or late February to mid-March | March 10/March 20/April 1 March 15/March 25/April 1 March 1/March 10/March 15 | 40-120 |
| Parsley | Seed | ----- | March 10/March 20/April 1 | 70-90 |
| Parsnips | Seed | ----- | March 10/March 20/April 1 | 90-110 |
| Pumpkins | Seed | ----- | April 20/May 5/May 10 | 90-120 |
| Sweet corn | Seed | ----- | April 10/April 20/May 1 | 60-100 |
| Sweet potatoes | Slips | A few weeks | May 1/May 10/May 20 | 120-140 |
| Tomatoes | Seed or transplant | March 15, 4-7 weeks | April 20/May 5/May 15 | 60-90 |
| Watermelons | Seed or transplant | March 25, 4-6 weeks | April 20/May 5/May 15 | 70-90 |
| Winter squash | Seed | ----- | April 20/May 10/May 15 | 80-120 |
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Fall Crops:
Check how the latest planting date lines up with:
your first day of school
harvest dates of summer crops
Consider varieties with shorter times to maturity
Explore season extension, such as row covers, low tunnels, or high tunnels, to get more time in the fall
The following table shows some good candidates for fall crops, whether they should be planted from seed or as transplants, when transplants should be started, the latest planting dates for Western/Central/Eastern Kentucky, and a range of how long it takes plants to mature (days to maturity). For more specific days to maturity, check the information for a specific variety from your seed supplier.
| Crops | Seed or Transplant | Date/Time to start Transplants | Earliest planting date | Days to maturity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beets | Seed | ----- | Aug. 1/ Aug. 10/Aug. 15 | 70-75 |
| Broccoli | Transplant | July 1 | July 15/Aug. 1/Aug. 15 | 60-80 |
| Collards | Seed | ----- | Aug. 15/Aug. 20/Aug. 20 | 80-90 |
| Kale | Seed | ----- | July 15/Aug. 1/Aug. 15 | 70-80 |
| Kohlrabi | Seed | ----- | July 15/Aug. 1/Aug. 15 | 60-70 |
| Leaf lettuce | Seed | ----- | Aug. 1/Aug. 15/Sept. 1 | 40-60 |
| Mustard Greens | Seed | ----- | Aug. 1/Aug. 15/Sept. 1 | 50-60 |
| Radishes | Seed | ----- | Sept. 1/Sept. 15/Oct. 1 | 30-40 |
| Snow peas | Seed | ----- | July 20/Aug. 1/Aug. 8 | 50-70 |
| Spinach | Seed | ----- | Aug. 15/Sept. 1/Sept. 15 | 50-60 |
| Turnips | Seed | ----- | Aug. 1/Aug. 10/Aug. 20 | 50-60 |
| Turnip greens | Seed | ----- | Aug. 1/Aug. 10/Aug. 20 | 50-60 |
| Garlic | Set - cloves | ----- | Nov. 1/Nov. 7/Nov. 15 | Harvest the following spring/ summer |
The following table shows some good candidates for fall crops, whether they should be planted from seed or as transplants, when transplants should be started, the latest planting dates for Western/Central/Eastern Kentucky, and a range of how long it takes plants to mature (days to maturity). For more specific days to maturity, check the information for a specific variety from your seed supplier.
References:
Johnny's Selected Seeds. 2021. https://www.johnnyseeds.com/
Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky. ID-128. University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service
How to Grow Sweet Potatoes. 2016. Michigan State University Available at:
https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/how_to_grow_sweet_potatoes
Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability. Kentucky State University, University of Kentucky, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Kentucky Counties, Cooperating. 2021 KYSU-CEP-FAC-0093