School Garden Start up Budget and Plant List ` For more information, Please see websites below: ` Organic Edible Schoolyards & Gardening with Children http://scribd.com/doc/239851214 ` Double Food Production from your School Garden with Organic Tech http://scribd.com/doc/239851079 ` Free School Gardening Art Posters http://scribd.com/doc/239851159` ` Companion Planting Increases Food Production from School Gardens http://scribd.com/doc/239851159 ` Healthy Foods Dramatically Improves Student Academic Success http://scribd.com/doc/239851348 ` City Chickens for your Organic School Garden http://scribd.com/doc/239850440 ` Simple Square Foot Gardening for Schools - Teacher Guide http://scribd.com/doc/239851110

1. School Garden Start-Up Budget and Plant Guide - Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom 2012
School Garden Start up Budget and Plant List
We at MAIC have received a lot of requests for a budget for a start-up school garden bed. We realize implementing a
school garden program at your school is a process involving much more than simply building beds. Identifying curriculum
connections, school and community partners and maintenance connections are all aspects of a successful school garden.
This being said, seeing is believing, and we hope this can simplify the process for potential school gardeners to get dirty
and get started!
Below is an estimated start up budget for a school garden. Stared items (*) should be multiplied by the number of
beds you are making. Other costs are generally the same for up to 8 beds or so.
1 # of Beds
you are
making
Category Item # needed estimated
price
Total Notes
Raised Bed
Supplies
2‘x4”x8’ Hemlock * 3 10 30 Can use any rot resistant
wood
1 lb box of 3.5” Wood
screws
1 14 14
Thompson’s Water Seal 1 10.98 14.98 Can also use non-toxic
outdoor paint.
4” Corner braces. 4 Pack * 1 4 4
Pack of 2” wood screws * 1 3 3
2x2x8 Hemlock/other * 1 4 4

2. Raised Bed
Tools
School Garden Start-Up Budget and Plant Guide - Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom 2012
One extra long wood drill
bit, 4” long (not typically
found in drill bit sets)
1 4 4
Electric drill ideally 12v
or higher
Borrow
Hand saws Borrow
Measuring tape Borrow
Pencil
Standard drill bit set Borrow
Raised Bed
Fill
Compost (in Yards). Be
sure to use good quality!
* 1.2 35 42 For 1/2 loam /compost
bed mix.
Loam (In Yards) * 1.2 20 24 assuming you can’t use
your own soil...
Watering
System
Lead-Free Garden Hose 1 30 30 Kids may drink from it so
lead free is important!

3. School Garden Start-Up Budget and Plant Guide - Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom 2012
Timer 1 20 20 For weekends and
holidays
drip watering kit 1 15 15 For weekends and
holidays
watering nozzle for hose 1 5 5
Watering Cans 2 5 10
Tools 0
Kid sized tools: Shovel,
spade, rake, hoe, fork
20 12 240 adjust by # of students...
Full sized tools (see
above)
8 14 112
Compost
Bins
0
Simple plastic compost
bins. available from the
DEP in some towns, or
by ordering
1 45 45 2 for garden use. Some
towns have subsidized
bins.
Storage box for dry
materials
1 Build or buy
Other
structures
0
Small Storage Shed 1 400 400 Or build one. Or use
inside storage space.

4. School Garden Start-Up Budget and Plant Guide - Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom 2012
Outdoor Seating 0 Many options! Stumps,
benches etc
Outdoor Table 1 150 150 est. price for a picnic
table
Weather
Station
Basic combo weather
gauge (wind speed, rain
fall, temp. etc.)
1 10 10
Indoor
Seed
Starting
equipment
0
Shop lights 2 14 28
1 blue spectrum (Cool)
light bulb, 1 red spectrum
(warm) light bulb
4 8 32 For a full spectrum of
light.
Shelving unit w. 2+
shelves
1 70 70
Feet of chain to hang
shop lights
6 0.45 2.7
“S” hooks to hang shop
lights
8 0.9 7.2
Plant spray bottle 1 4 4
Seed starter trays 8 1.3 10.4

5. School Garden Start-Up Budget and Plant Guide - Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom 2012
Seed starter plugs (pack
of 50)
1 10 10 These are an easy way to
start. You may prefer
seed starting mix and
pots.
0
Seeds,
perennials
and slips
Seed packets 12 2.5 30 This will vary depending
on what you want to
grow!
Start up berry plants e.g
strawberries
0 Price varies - check with
your local nursery.
Mulch 0
Straw mulch bales to
augment collected mulch
1 7 7 Check for Straw without
weed seeds.
Estimated
total Cost
1378.28

6. Choosing Plants
Below is a basic guide to some popular school garden crops for Massachusetts. Please refer to our “Selecting the Crops”
Guide for more detailed information on garden planning. Days to harvest can vary greatly, so refer to your seed package
for particular information for your crop. Keep in mind watering, sunlight and the season can also vary these numbers
considerably. This list is geared for spring and Fall harvesting and planting. If you have a summer program you can adjust
the plants accordingly.
Plant Family Varieties to Plant If annual cold
or warm
season?
Siting Needs Plant Harvest Plant
Spac
ing
Notes Approx.
days to
harvest
"Asian
Greens"
Brassica Pak and Bok
Choi, Mizuna
Cold Part Shade OK Spring
or Fall
Spring or Fall
or Winter
6" Direct seed, thin
after germination.
25
Baby
Lettuce
Asteraceae Any Cold Shade OK Spring Spring 4" Direct seed, thin
after germination.
28
Basil Warm Full Sun
Beets Chenopodia
ceae
"Bulls Blood" or
other Heirloom
Cold Part Shade OK Spring Fall 2"
(thin)
Direct seed, thin
after germination.
55
Carrots Umbellifera
e
Cold Part Shade OK Spring Fall 2"
(thin)
Direct seed, thin
after germination.
75
Cabbage Brassica Fall varieties. Cold Spring Fall 18 Starts. 85
Cillantro Umbellifera
e
Cold Part Shade OK Spring
or Fall
Fall or Winter 2" Direct seed, thin
after germination.
50
Collards Brassiceae Cold Full Sun Spring
or Fall
Fall or Winter 16' Starts. 55
Dry Beans Leguminosa
e
Warm Full Sun Spring Fall Direct seed, thin
after germination.
100
Flour Corn Grass Warm Full Sun Spring Fall 16" 100
Garlic (eat
Liliaceae Cold Part Shade OK Fall Spring 6" Harvest green
green!)
garlic before
school gets out!
Kale Brassiceae Cold Part Shade OK Spring
or Fall
Fall or Winter 16" Good for eating
well into winter
55
School Garden Start-Up Budget and Plant Guide - Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom 2012

7. Marigolds Warm Trap crop for
tomatoes
Onions Liliaceae Cold Part Shade OK Spring Fall 4" Plant from sets for
easier results
94
Peas Leguminosa
e
Snap/early
varieties!
Cold Part Shade Ok Spring Spring 3" Trellis! 52
Peppers Solanaceae Warm Full Sun Spring Fall 12-1
8"
starts. 80
Popcorn Solanaceae Warm Full Sun 12" Dry down in the
classroom in
bunches
100
Potato Solanaceae Fall harvest Warm Full sun April
15-
May
15
8-12
"
Hilling if possible,
picking potato
bugs, mulching
Pumpkins Cucurbitace
ae
Warm Full Sun 72-
100"
recommend small
varieties.
105
Radish Cold Part Shade Ok any
time!
4" great quick crop 26
Spinach Chenopodia
ceae
Cold Part Shade Ok Spring
or Fall
Spring or Fall
or Winter
4" 39
Strawberry Full Sun Spring
for
secon
d year
6” on
diag
onal
Pinch flowers first
year, take off
daughters/thin
them, mulch
yearly, water 1”
week
Sweet
Potato
Warm Full Sun Spring Fall 12" Lift shoots to stop
them rooting for
larger potatoes
Tomatoes Solanaceae Warm Full Sun 18" Use open
pollinated and
save seeds!
62-80
Wheat Grass Cold Full Sun Fall Fall 4” Winter wheat can
last until
September
Winter
Squash
Cucurbitace
ae
Warm Full Sun 72-
100"
100
Tomatillos Solanaceae Warm Full Sun Spring Fall 12" 70
Chard Chenopodia
ceae
Cold part Shade OK Spring Fall 12" Good continual
harvest
55
School Garden Start-Up Budget and Plant Guide - Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom 2012

8. School Garden Start-Up Budget and Plant Guide - Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom 2012
Winter Rye Grass Cold Full Sun fall Spring 4" Use as a cover
crop or grain crop
Sunflower Asteraceae Warm Full Sun Spring Fall 16' 80
Start up Supplement:
Simple Raised Bed Design
Choose your materials: Keep in mind your beds will be in continual contact with damp earth. Concrete blocks, boards
painted with outdoor latex paint (not oil based or with additives) , plastic boards are all options. While cedar is the best, it
is expensive, so Hemlock or Douglas Fir are good rot resistant woods. Make sure to never use pressure treated wood as
it will leach toxins into your garden. Look for a greenish or bluish tinge to the wood, and be sure to ask to make sure!
Should be at least 1.5” thick to prevent bowing.
Materials and tools for 1 8ʼ by 2ʼ by 4” high bed:
- Three 2x4x8 planks of rot resistant wood (see above)
- 2x2 cut to 4 8” lengths
- Wood screws - 4” long
- One extra long wood drill bit, 4” long (not typically found in drill bit sets)
- Electric drill ideally 12v or higher
- Hand saw
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
- Ruler
Steps:
- Find a flat area for bed construction such as a slab path.
- Measure and cut one of the planks in half.
- Drill a piece of 2x2 on the end of each board
- assemble the pieces into a square and drill holes then screw together
- Add metal braces for strength
- Paint the outside with latex paint to further resist rot
- place on a leveled piece of ground

9. www.mnla.com
National Gardening Association
www.garden.org &
www.kidsgardening.org
UMass Extension
www.umassextension.org/index.php/information/
gardening
UMass SoilTesting
www.umass.edu/soiltest/
USDA Food and Nutrition Program
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USDA Plant Hardiness Zone MAP
www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html
US Botanic Garden - Planning Planting
www.schoolgardenwizard.org
School Garden Start-Up Budget and Plant Guide - Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom 2012
- Fill with soil, sheet mulch inside your box, or double dig to make your bed!
Please see our “Building the Beds” Guide for more detailed information on building garden beds.
P. O. Box 345 Seekonk, MA 02771
www.aginclassroom.org
Please Visit the Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom Website
Other Curriculum Resources Websites
to tell us how you used this Siting the School Garden Resource for the School Garden.
Thanks!
American Community Garden Association
www.communitygarden.org/docs/how-to_manual.pdf
American Horticulture Society
www.ahs.org
My Healthy School
www.myhealthyschool.com/gardens/starting.php
New York City’s School Garden Program
http://growtolearn.org
Project Life Lab Science School Gardens
www.lifelab.org
School Garden Weekly
http://schoolgardenweekly.com
Soil Water Conservation Society
www.swcs.org
School Garden Transformations
www.schoolgrounds.ca/projects.html
USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service
www.nrcs.usda.gov
http://soils.usda.gov/
Vegetable Garden Basics - Rutgers
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Raised Bed Container image - http://images.taunton.
com/enewsletters/vg/kg08-raised-beds-09.jpg
Information for this How-To-Guide for Getting Started in the School Garden
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Thank you to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural
Resources for a Specialty Crops Grant that supported development of
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