Tips to start a school garden

Registrations for the Tui School Garden Challenge open on the 29th of July on the Tui website - less than two weeks to go!

For those of you new to the TSGC, it is an annual competition designed to get pre-school, primary and intermediate school aged children into the garden. Schools can enter a new or existing garden, and then they send us in updates of the progress they make during the TSGC (29 July - 25 October).

We thought we would share some tips for teachers/parents/community members who would like to get a garden started at their school, to enter the TSGC this year. Some of the Tui Team caught up with Raumati South School at Ellerslie International Flower Show this year, and Graham (the school's principal) kindly shared his top tips to success in the school garden.

Tips to start a school garden:

Start small, so it is manageable.
Get some key people on board - find a staff member, parent or someone from the local community with a passion for gardening to help out.
Turn garden produce into something the kids like - Raumati South School made soup in winter, and then progressed to pizzas.
Strawberries are a winner!
Grow crops that are instant in their impact (check out 5 quick win crops here).
Get a weekly, lunch time gardening club underway, that can be supported by a parent.

Watch the video:

Questions? Use the comments below, or contact us.