Seed Saving

Most schools in Wisconsin follow a traditional September to June calendar. Many of the food crops planted in gardens ripen and become ready to eat during the summer months, when students are not in school. Seeds, however, mature in late August through the fall, allowing for a curriculum to be in place when the school year resumes.

With this change in perspective, the garden is not "dead" in the fall, but full of seeds and learning opportunities that can be extended throughout the winter as well.

Harvesting seeds is done in the fall, but processing seeds, making seed packages, and packaging seeds can be done in the cold winter months when access to the garden is often limited.

So do some research on saving seeds and seed swapping with other schools! A simple google search will bring up a plethora of results! Happy saving!!

Avocado Activity

Some of your student may not be familiar with an avocado, so this is a great activity to introduce them to something new!

Select a soft, ripe avocado. Peel it and spread on saltine crackers and have them sample it. Show the children the size of the seed inside the fruit. The large size may surprise them.

Wash the pit to remove the brown papery skin and any flesh residue.

Poke three toothpicks evenly around the middle (equator) of the pit. Use those tooth picks to support the pit on the rim of a clear glass or plastic cup with the pointed end up.

Fill the water so that the bottom third of the pit is covered in water. Place the clear glass in a bright, warm location, but out of direct sun. Change the water once a week.

In a few weeks, the pit will split open, the roots will grow out the bottom, and a shoot will emerge from the top.

Activities to Curb Cabin Fever

Now that winter is upon us, you may be thinking that there aren’t many plant activities that your students can participate in. However, there are lots of fun ideas to get students thinking about gardens, even when there’s snow on the ground.

Watch seeds sprout! Line a glass or plastic jar with a damp paper towel and insert several zucchini or lima bean seeds between the glass and the towel. Place a lid on the jar, leave it by a sunny spot and check the towel every day to make sure it’s still moist. Seeds should sprout in a few days.

Make your very own worm farm! Line a large cardboard box with a garbage bag. Fill it with soil, organic matter and a few warms. Keep it shady and moist, but not too wet. Add vegetable scraps to feed the worms. The worm farm will help teach students about the interdependence of plants and organisms as they watch the worms turn vegetable scraps into valuable compost.

Read a book! Telling a story about gardening to students during winter will get them excited for the growing (and eating) process later in the year.

Start a microfarm! You can grow microgreens (immature plants) for a tasty salad indoors all year long. The entire gardening process only takes about 3-4 weeks. For more information on building a microfarm, visit the Got Dirt? website at http://www.gotdirtwisconsin.org/.

Winter Sowing

Last week at our Got Dirt? training in Green Bay, local teachers and child care providers shared resources and gardening tips.


One particularly intriguing winter gardening method was the idea of winter sowing. Winter sowing involves reusing plastic containers (such as take-out containers or milk jugs) to essentially create mini-greenhouses in the winter. Placing the containers outdoors, the seeds begin to grow naturally, taking hints from Mother Nature. Once spring arrives, the plants are ready to be transplanted into your garden.

Winter sowing offers an alternative to starting plants indoors under grow lights.

It also makes for a great method to try with your students. Just imagine students’ fascination with their mini-greenhouses outside in the snow. Each day they can monitor the progress of their plants during recess or before/after school.

Visit the website http://www.wintersown.org/ for detailed instructions, ideas and inspiration.

If you have used winter sowing in the past or decide to try it with your students, we would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!