Growing Together: Open Forum

Hi! Another fantastic Community Chat last week, this time on planting considerations for youth gardens. The recording is attached (time stamp below) and I've added links to the many resources that were shared. Thank you to everyone who attended and shared questions in advance!

Questions about anything covered in the Chat or not covered? Reply here or start a new thread.

Resources…

Timing of Planting

• USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (This one is specific to Wisconsin but includes the national map at the top)

• Denver Urban Gardens Upcoming Webinars (Upcoming webinars on seed starting and garden planning from Denver Urban Gardens - thanks for sharing, Laura!)

• Farmers' Almanac (Includes average frost dates for each state and many other gardening tips)

• Downloadable Planting Calendar (Amazing resource from Homestead and Chill with TONS of tips and downloadable planting calendars for every zone)

• Planting According to Moon Phases (Sample moon cycle calendar that can be used as an alternative or addition to frost date planting methods)

• Planning Tools and Calculators (Interactive planning tools and calculators - charts, PDFs, spreadsheets - from Johnny's Selected Seeds)

• Choosing Plants and Planting Times (A great crop planning resource from Life Lab)

Pest Management/Attracting Beneficial Insects

• Floating Row Covers

• Plant Flowers to Encourage Beneficial Insects

Planting Wildflowers

• Native Plants Database (Use this database to select plants based on several characteristics)

Engaging Groups of Kids in Planting

• Planting Demo: Inefficiency by Design (A great short demo from the Teaching in Nature's Classroom Course on how you can make the garden "inefficient" so each child can do something)

• Activities with Young Children Webinar (Webinar recording from Denver Urban Gardens showing some methods for planting including using seed tape)

Age Appropriate Gardening

• Garden by Age (Quick guide from KidsGardening for gardening with kids of different ages)

• Early Childhood Lessons and Activities (List from KidsGardening of resources for gardening with young children)

• Farm to Early Care and Education (Resources from Rooted available in English and Spanish)

Soil Health

• Soil Testing (Guide to collecting and sending soil samples for testing)

• The Soil Story with Pashon Murray (Short video from Kiss the Ground explaining how soil can save the planet)

Recording Time Stamps

8:40 - Extension agents! What do they do and how can you connect with them?

14:20 - Planning for planting - tips for planning and how to determine planting dates

20:30 - Tips for pest control/how to harvest a meaningful amount to share with a large group

24:55 - Troubleshooting issues with planting wildflowers

30:00 - Planting activities for groups of kids

34:40 - Tips to help kids with plant/seed spacing

43:20 - Soil health

51:00 - Advice for planting if your program takes a break during the summer

55:35 - Keeping weeds out of the garden without pesticides

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Amelia Dupuis
Kids Garden Community Manager
KidsGardening
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