This is a 90 page manual written by Jude Fanton and Jo Immig, with amusing and inspiring illustrations by Dr Liz Elliot and published by Seed Savers. Written for teachers and parents, it covers how to plan, install, maintain and utilise food gardens in schools.
The book is useful for planning any size and a range of types of gardens. In addition, it has extra information on how to propagate, such as how to save seeds and replant them. For each theme there are practical suggestions for activities with several dozen websites listed for further research.
Learn how to grow gardens that make a difference: energy and water efficient as well as economical. These gardens are biodiverse, organic and water-wise with low inputs and have the full plant cycle: from seed to seed.
Chapters include why have food gardens in schools, planning, planting and maintaining such gardens, how to harvest and eat from the gardens and how to save seeds for replanting. There are amusing and informative cartoon illustrations by Dr Liz Elliot and B/W photos of food garden projects in schools throughout.
As former high school teachers and organisers and trainers of dozens of courses in Permaculture and seed saving, we have a strong interest in encouraging food gardens in schools. With the financial crisis and global awareness of environmental meltdown, these are an essential strategy for change. With this in mind, we wrote and published a handbook for school teachers, parents and educational administrators and planners on establishing food gardens in educational institutions. Choosing what seeds to plant is a crucial decision in this process.
This book is written for teachers, in particular primary school teachers, as a planning and educational tool. It is best read from cover to cover, though you will find satisfaction from dipping into it. We have suggested activities for most of the topics. Many of these are weblinks. All links were operational as at August 2007. Should one not work, try connecting to the home page of the website listed.
About the authors
Jude Fanton co-founded The Seed Savers’ Network in 1986 and is co-author of the best-selling ‘Seed Savers’ Handbook’. She loves teaching gardening and finding out what will be the next meal by looking in the garden.
Jo Immig is an environmental scientist and co-ordinator of the National Toxics Network. She has written several books including the ’The Toxic Playground’ and ‘Safer Solutions’ which detail how to avoid the use of hazardous chemicals and better safeguard children’s health from environmental pollution.
About the illustrator
Liz Elliot is a medical practitioner with an approach to health that incorporates traditional alternative medicine practices. She is the author of “Health = Energy” a book on how to stay healthy.
Liz donated the drawings and fashioned them with astounding speed.