Growing School Food Gardens

Hi!

Our school is interested in having some sort of farmers market type activity using our Spring produce.  Each class has their own to eat and we will harvest what is left.  
What we don't know is how much extra we will produce yet and details like who to market this to - we have 400+ students so we can't really serve the entire population.  
we have some ideas of how to start small but I thought I'd check in here to see if anyone has done a farmers market concept and how you started.  

(we have the equivalent of 20 8X5 raised beds though a few will be slower to grow.  Our plan this year is to plant them all with the classes within a 2 week time frame so we can either harvest more at once for a market or give to the cafeteria (or both if we do market once and have more later that is extra).

I am sure we'd keep the market crops to greens and radish and or Mikado turnips.  Save the snap peas or other things for the classrooms

Hey Pam, I love the idea of the farmers market. We're planning to do something similar with our 461 students. Our garden is just being developed right now and is far smaller than yours, 8 raised beds and 4 flower boxes. Our current plan is to have the 4th grade deep dive into vermicomposting utilizing Hungry Bins, collect and sell the castings at the farmers market. The 5th grade will create a planting plan, plant and harvest. The crops will need to be fast growing crops and perennials herbs and flowers. The 4th & 5th grades will host the farmers market for the school and the funds raised will go towards their OSS 5th grade field trip. 

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Ryan Hewson
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