Garden Checklist

Checklist for Starting a School Garden
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Use this document as a reminder of what to consider and
prepare for before submitting a garden project.

Site Selection
Choosing the best location for your garden project will require some investigation. Use these
questions to guide your thinking, and then decide on the garden locale accordingly.
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Is the site easy for both students and teachers to access?
Is there a nearby and dependable water source?
Is the site protected from vandals, pests or other local threats?
Is the area big enough to allow for future growth?
Is the site exposed to sunlight at least 6 hours a day, if planting flowers, herbs and vegetables?
Is the soil contaminated with lead or other heavy metals?

Parking lots, courtyards, rooftops, greenhouses, and schoolyards might be potential sites. If there’s
no possibility of having a garden at the school, consider options within the community like city
parks or vacant lots, church properties, nature centers, retirement centers, and community
gardens. You want to avoid locations that are exposed to pollutants like highways, airports,
industry smokestacks, etc. If space is very limited, consider gardening in containers or straw bales.
You might find that the ideal spot is indoors instead of outside.

Soil Health
Soil is the foundation on which gardens are built. It’s important to collect a soil sample to identify
the soil texture of the proposed garden site. Soil texture is the combination of sand, silt and clay
particles that make up soil. Poor soil texture may cause restrictions to root growth, and poor
movement of air and water through the soil. Soil texture is quite easy to test for, just follow the doit-yourself instructions at http://soils.usda.gov/education/resources/lessons/texture/. A nutrientrich soil with good texture and plenty of organic matter will help your garden thrive. Did you
know? A single spade of rich garden soil contains more species of organisms than can be found
above ground in the entire Amazon rain forest.
Have your soil tested for pH, nutrients and lead contamination. Call your local Cooperative
Extension office, State Department of Agriculture, or Public Health Department to find out where
to get soil tested. Soil test laboratories are listed at http://www.ahs.org/publications/
the_american_gardener/07/03/web_special_4.htm and http://www.organicgardening.com/
soiltest/1%2C7775%2Cs1-2-7-0%2C00.html. The USDA Service Center in your county can also
provide assistance at http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app.
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Nutrients are most available to plants at pH levels between 6 and 7. Having trouble understanding
your pH test results? Find answers at http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/publications/files/indicate.pdf. If
your site is contaminated with lead, the simplest solution may be to find another site. Otherwise,
garden in containers or remove the contaminated topsoil and replace it with clean soil. Download a
publication about lead contaminated soil at http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?
pid=FS336.

Plant Palette
Choose a palette of plants that are safe (no poisonous fruits, large thorns or weak limbs), healthy
(resistant to disease or pests), low maintenance, desirable size and shape, and suitable to your
climate.
The basic needs of plants include water, air, light, and space. In addition, you should consider the
specific needs of each plant regardless of the garden type. Selecting appropriate plants requires
knowledge of what plants will survive and grow year after year in your region of the United States.
Most plants are identified in a catalog or plant description by hardiness zone. Do you know your
zone? Use the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to find out at http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/
ushzmap.html or http://www.garden.org/zipzone/

United States Department of Agriculture
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