Growing tools

What resources are available?

Growing Cards

Learn how to grow fruit, veg, herbs, edible flowers and green maures

Below are some examples of the fantastic, wide range of Growing Cards available from the Garden Organic website. There are growing cards available on vegetables, fruit, herbs, edible flowers and green manures. Developed for  schools for the Food For Life Partnership. Examples (download):

  • Bean, Broad Beetroot Carrot Courgette
  • Cucumber (greenhouse) Garlic Leek Lettuce
  • Onion (bulb) Pea Potato Pumpkins and Squash
  • Radish Spinach Tomato (outdoor)

The full range of Growing Cards are available on the Garden Organic website.

Build your own plastic bottle greenhouse for free. Photo: Malcom Smith.

Growing Activity Sheets

Garden Organic have also produced an in-depth library of learning resources for schools including games, growing activity sheets, construction projects, wildlife projects, planning advice, posters, booklets and templates.

Getting started with plants

  • Planning what to grow and where
  • Growing in raised beds, containers and windowsills
  • Improving soil fertility
  • Removing weeds
  • Holiday care of the garden

Garden Organic resources created for Food for Life Bronze Award Booklet (B4). To join the award scheme visit FFL School Awards.

  • Setting up a school garden – RHS information sheet

Planning what to grow:

Building your growing space

  • Using Recycled Materials (Activity sheet S4.11)
  • Building a plastic bottle greenhouse (RHS) and (REAP Scotland)
  • Make a heated propagator, cloche & light reflector (Garden Organic)
  • Growing on the windowsill (Activity sheet B4.7)

Growing

  • Sowing seeds (Activity Sheet A18)
  • Making a paper pot (Activity Sheet A19) 
  • Making potting mixes (Activity Sheet A38)
  • Planting in containers (Activity Sheet A11)
  • See fruit and vegetable Growing Cards above.

Understanding garden insects

  • Friend and Foe Game (Activity Sheet A28)

Other Garden Organic activity sheet examples (titles):

  • Building a raised bed Making compost (poster)
  • Building a wildlife habitat Hosting an annual garden event
  • Risk assessment Recording growing skills
  • Community engagement  Roof gardens in schools
  • Garden to Kitchen (poster) Horticultural qualifications
  • and more...

The full range of activity sheets are available on the schools webpage of the Garden Organic website.

Curriculum resources

  • Using the garden to teach Maths and Science – RHS Information Sheet
  • 30 sneaky ways to teach maths and science in the garden - RHS (pdf)
  • Using maths in the garden to learn about volume and capacity - by Ravensbourne School (large pdf)

Pupils discovering the amazing benefits of home grown compost. Photo: Garden Organic

Termly GYO themed activities

Join in with new Grow Your Own themed activities for schools every term.

  • Grow Your Own Picnic
  • Grow Your Own Business
  • Grow around the World
  • and Spring into Growing!

Download our free schools activity packs to get started.

Finding Seeds

  • Learn to seed save! (Garden Organic booklet - 50 page) http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/sites/www.gardenorganic.org.uk/files/resources/fflp/Seed-Saving-in-Schools.pdf
  • Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library (HSL) - www.gardenorganic.org.uk/hsl
  • The Organic Gardening Catalogue - www.OrganicCatalogue.com
  • The Real Seed Catalogue - www.realseeds.co.uk
  • Chiltern Seeds - www.chilternseeds.co.uk

Finding Equipment

There are a number of ways to resource up your school with gardening equipment: