Growing Together: Open Forum

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  • 1.  New Garden on Concrete

    Posted 11 days ago

    Hi Kids Gardening Community! 
    After four years of educational gardening in an elementary school, I have the opportunity to start up another gardening program at a new elementary school that is currently being built and expected to open this fall! I'm am so excited to expand the program and reach more students. The challenge is… the garden will be located in an interior courtyard that is being built on the second floor. So it's open to the sky, but will be a concrete floor. Has anyone done this? I can do raised beds on legs but that's always difficult with the varying heights of kids in grades K-5. I currently use Vego beds and would like to continue with them, but I'm not sure what I can put underneath the beds and soil. I also worry that the space will not feel like nature and will be too sterile. I need to think of ways to incorporate natural elements to help soften the area. I would love to hear from anyone who has set up a gardening space on concrete. Thank you!



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    Alicia Rodriguez
    Fredericksburg VA
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  • 2.  RE: New Garden on Concrete

    Posted 10 days ago

    Maybe put weed blocker down and get wood chips from an arborist (they will usually donate) as the "floor' Then you can lay cardboard under the beds. Encompass whatever area you are able to use with wood chips. It will bring a nature floor to a concrete space.



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    Green Neighbors Network
    Kingston PA
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  • 3.  RE: New Garden on Concrete

    Posted 10 days ago

    I haven't done this yet, but I am also in the same place about doing a garden potentially on concrete, and I'm looking at the vego garden beds on castors (https://www.vegogarden.com/collections/classic-rolling-garden-beds/products/rolling-garden-bed-v-series-1-75-x-8) for the same reason you mentioned, varying heights of youths participating.



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    Samantha Oliver
    MI
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  • 4.  RE: New Garden on Concrete

    Posted 10 days ago
    Hi Alicia,

    Our gardening beds are on concrete, when we built them we put only cardboard on the bottom. That was 6 years ago, so the cardboard is gone. So, while it may not be ideal, we are still planting with a successful harvest. 
    I am interested in following this conversation and learning from others' ideas. 

    Best,

    --
    Monica Hernandez Gonzalez
    On Site Education Coach
    Positive Discipline Educator
    Pasitos School
    (408) 392-0000





  • 5.  RE: New Garden on Concrete

    Posted 9 days ago

    Two years ago, I was asked to build a small garden in a transition housing mobile home park. We put raised redwood beds on an old driveway. We put down about 2 inches of decomposed granite and put the beds on top of that. I stapled a lightweight wire mesh to the bottom of the beds. It seems to be working. 



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    Evelyn Margolin
    Sacramento, CA
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  • 6.  RE: New Garden on Concrete

    Posted 7 days ago
    Our first garden was built on a concrete parking lot. Aside from needing to water more frequently than an in-ground garden, I haven't noticed much difference. One key factor is filling the beds with high-quality, dense soil. We're fortunate to have a local store that sells real dirt, which holds moisture far longer than the garden soils typically sold at big-box stores.


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    Adrianna Wang
    MS
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  • 7.  RE: New Garden on Concrete

    Posted 6 days ago

    Hi, We put some areas with rocks and some with mulch. I like the contrast and the way it looks. 



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    Lauren Tur
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