Erica’s district received a grant 3 years ago to introduce gardening into local schools, and they now have 21 functioning gardens with a goal of 27 by the end of this year. Schools can use gardens for learning opportunities and also to give back to the community. “Every time I meet with teachers, the first question is, ‘How do I get started?’ I always say to start by drawing a design. Write down some ideas, goals, and a plan. That gets administration on board, and you can sit down and do your budget from that,”  says Erica. (Coming soon–Frame It All’s new app will help you create these garden designs easily!)

Erica suggests starting with small, easy, well-defined projects because it takes many volunteers to maintain a school garden: “Raised beds are low-maintenance, so they work well for schools. We ordered the Frame It All raised beds because they’re eco-friendly and easy to set up. Previous garden programs used wooden beds, and they rotted. Sustainability is a big part of our program–we needed something that would last.”  Raised garden beds also keep gardens separated so they don’t get mowed down or stepped on–setting up raised beds with nursery cover underneath, extending out about 3-4 feet, will help define the garden boundaries.

As we know from the Pine Jog story, gardening integrates all disciplines and meets many goals for schools. Gardening can promote healthful eating and exercise, giving students and their families the opportunity to grow and try new foods.  Many schools have done tasting parties, festivals, and markets to share their bounty.

If you’re looking to get started, there are plenty of resources at your disposal. “Take a class, or go to your local co-op extension (get a listing of them here) and learn what to do. Go to the internet and look up the agricultural schools’ sites for sound advice that works for your location,” advises Erica, who has also written a booklet on school gardening.

What are you waiting for? Get gardening today for a greener tomorrow at your school!

One of the first of its kind, Pine Jog is a LEED Gold-certified school set on several acres of land (LEED-certified schools have met requirements for environmentally responsible designs, including cost-effectiveness and the health and comfort of students and teachers).  In addition to their peach orchard, cocktail trees (a fruit tree that provides 6 varieties of fruit through grafting), extensive greenhouses and a 4,000-plant hydroponic garden, Pine Jog has nine ground gardens with raised beds from Frame It All. “We use raised bed gardens to teach kids about soil conditions, and our students are actively engaged in their maintenance,” says Fred Barch, the principal of Pine Jog,  “The kindergartners even have their own raised bed so they can get in the dirt and really have fun. But agricultural and horticultural science is just the beginning.

The school gardens and sunflower house offer kids a pleasant place to read, so students can fulfill their daily reading requirements outdoors in nature. Their annual “Top Secret Book” program, where the entire school tries to guess the title of a paper-wrapped book which everyone reads together after a week of hints and guessing, features a topic related to gardening or eco-awareness. Pine Jog even managed to integrate art into their gardening, by painting their cedar raised beds and decorating them with tiles made in student art classes.

The Pine Jog school garden yield is managed by the school OWL club (OWL stands for “Our World LEEDers”).  They not only maintain the garden, but they also run a daily market where they display and sell the fresh produce they grow. By researching merchandising and pricing, they can offer reasonable prices on fresh produce. Like any business owner, they must consider how to keep costs down, and reducing their carbon footprint is always a priority–they use baskets for display, then bag the items for less waste. Each class also takes part: the 5th grade class recently planted a crop of loofahs to sell. But don’t expect any sugar snap peas to make it to market–they’re a Pine Jog favorite, and usually get snacked on as they’re harvested. The OWL club hosts an Annual Strawberry Festival to sell fresh produce, smoothies, and more.

Allowing the garden to teach business and fundraising has been an eye-opener for students and staff at Pine Jog. When asked about how the students manage their funds, Principal Barch says their focus is on giving back to the community and planning for the future: “The students are very frugal and thoughtful about the money they raise. They’ve used the money to donate to the Marshall Foundation to plant seedlings, to give produce to our local food pantry, and to fund a water feature in our school courtyard to provide a place for students to gather or just sit in the shade and read.”

The school garden has truly changed lives for Pine Jog students, parents, and staff. “Gardening is unique because rather than lab or classroom, students can be out in nature,” says Principal Barch, “It provides them with the ability to make real time observations. Childrens’ skills grow with their curiosity, and an environment like a garden provides endless opportunities to stimulate their curiosity and learn in all disciplines.”

At Frame It All, we believe that gardening is for everyone…Pine Jog students are proving it!

These ornamental garden timbers can be combined into any shape, dimension or height to design your own unique raised garden – the possibilities are endless! The 8” high straight and curved Classic White Timbers are easy to assemble using the contrasting dense black Joints; simply snap each joint onto the ends of the timbers – no tools or screws required. Not only are the Classic White composite timbers covered with a 5-year warranty, but they are also scratch-proof and resistant to rotting, splintering, and infestation.

Just like all of our other products, the new raised beds are simple to install; check out the installation instructions and videos on our website!  These new Classic White Raised Garden Beds are also modular. Add a Frame It All Cold Frame Poly Greenhouse, Veggie Wall, or Animal Barrier onto your Classic White Raised Garden Bed for additional protection and flourishing growth for your plants.

Remember: pre-ordering starts February 22 and shipping starts March 15.  Get your Classic White Raised Garden Bed in time for spring gardening and add enduring beauty to your backyard!

Happy spring gardening!

If you live in a hot climate…
Those of you living in hotter regions can partake in hot or thermophilic composting.  When microorganisms devour kitchen and garden scraps in compost, heat is released, bringing the temperature of piles up to 120°F or more.  The heat will kill weed seeds and pathogens in your compost, creating nutrient-rich, usable compost in as little as 3-4 weeks!  Keep these heat-loving bugs on your side by maintaining the perfect amount of moisture, air, and food, and enjoy healthy soil for your spring garden!

Composting is particularly advantageous to the hot and dry areas in the West and Southwest because of their poor soil quality.  It takes longer for rich topsoil to form in desert landscapes because plants there release less organic matter for decomposition, and extreme dryness impairs the decomposition process.  Plants native to the area can survive these conditions because they’ve evolved; however, if Westerners want to try plants not native to the area, they need healthy soil to provide the nitrogen and pH levels the hard, rocky desert soil does not have.  Composting will provide an enriched soil amender that will ensure garden success!

If you live in a cold climate…
Even if the mercury line isn’t stretching very high on your thermometer right now, don’t worry!  Composting is great year-round in any temperature; it just takes longer when it’s cold.  Heat-loving microorganisms are replaced by mesophiles and psychrophiles which enjoy the cold, but perform at slower rates.  Due to the low temperatures, weed seeds and pathogens may still survive, but the great advantage of cold composting is that you can just let it sit.  No turning, no watering, no maintenance of any sorts required!  Decomposers will continue to eat your waste, and you’ll have usable compost in 6-12 months.

No matter where you are, have fun composting and enjoy seeing the benefits in your garden year-round! Check out our eco-friendly composters and start now!

Enjoy the winter season – Because of the mild winters, the Northwest can plant cool season crops through the winter as long as they protect plants from the occasional burst of cold weather.  Check out our General Garden Info page to see which ones you can grow during cool seasons, and then enjoy planting them in one of our Raised Beds with a Deluxe Greenhouse for protection!

Buy hardy, native plants – This may be obvious, but it’s important that you buy plants that are strong enough to last in zones 7 or lower.  Occasionally, hard frosts can hit the Northwest and your plants need to be able to survive through the cold.  If you buy native plants, they will thrive in your garden, resist disease, and require little watering.

Beware of bugs and bunnies– The heavy moisture during winter can make pesticides less effective.  Watch out for insects and look for alternative pest-control solutions.  Protect your plants from bigger threats with Small Animal Barriers.

Prepare your plants for spring – Now is a good time to plant bushes and trees for the next growing season.  During the winter, plants’ roots start to grow to collect energy.  This means it’s a great time to divide and transplant these plants because they will be less inclined to frost damage and they will likely bloom sooner in the next season.

Enrich your soil – Add mulch and other soil amenders to your garden now so that it can absorb the water from the rain.  From July through October, the Northwest does not receive as much rain and the moisture stored in your soil can be released to help your plants.

Wendy Hanson of Oakland, California has been putting her green thumb to work in a Frame It All Raised Garden Bed and Veggie Wall for over a year. Before her raised garden, apartment living wasn’t always easy for this avid gardener who owned a store called Wendy’s Country Things and Herb Garden in the late 1980s. “I never thought I would be able to garden on my 17th floor terrace, but my Frame-It-All Raised Bed with the Veggie Wall made gardening easy and fun!  When I have people over, I always invite them to take a walk through my beautiful garden,” Wendy told us.  Wendy grows vegetables in the warmer months and switched to herbs in the fall: “I was able to use fresh herbs in my Thanksgiving dinner, and decorated the table with beautiful, rustic-looking kale.”

For those of you trying your hand at Northern California winter gardening, Wendy has come up with some helpful hints:

1. Planning:  Planning is a must!  First, determine what plants you will be growing and then figure out how far in advance you need to start growing your plants and when/if to transplant them.  Frame It All has a great Know and Grow Guide that I use to help decide what to plant.
2. Protection:  In Northern California, we usually only have winter rain, but it is best to be prepared for the occasional frost with frost covers always nearby.
3. Pruning:  January and February are great months to prune in order to promote healthy new growth
4. Planting:  Bare-root plants (plants that are sold with exposed roots, like roses and onions) need to be planted as soon as possible.  These are great for planting in January and February and include many perennial and annual flowers and vegetables.

Wendy’s garden is a perfect example of how Raised Garden Beds can be both versatile and rewarding. “Growing herbs all year on my California terrace is amazing, “says Wendy, “with Frame it All, I made it happen!”

Start a new garden in 2013 with the help of our Resource Center!  We have created a Know and Grow Guide that will answer all of your basic gardening questions, and give you a head start on your spring garden.  Here you can learn about gardening techniques, labor savers, soil amenders, and so much more.  You can even plot out your garden with our Plant Spacing Diagram!

Our new Landscape Edging and Playground Border calculators make it simple for you to determine the correct quantity of Frame it All edging you need to keep your backyard tidy and looking beautiful.  Simply figure out the total length of the area you are placing a border around, and our calculators will tell you the total number of timber and joints required.  Not only is the product assembly quick and easy, but now the ordering is, too!

With help from Frame It All, get ready to plant the seeds for an amazing year of gardening in 2013!

The alkaline clay in desert areas makes planting very difficult, but there are some easy solutions to this problem.  The simplest solution would be using one of our Raised Garden Beds.  Raised Garden Beds can be placed on any surface, from rooftops to cement, and all you have to do after setting one up is fill it with soil and garden!  The Raised Garden Bed make it easy to grow lush, healthy gardens by maintaining good quality soil conditions.  You can add soil amenders such as gypsum and manure to further improve your soil quality.  Compost is also a great soil amender, and is easy to create on your own in one of our Composters.

The final (and the most fun) dilemma is figuring out what to plant.  Some of the best plants to sow in the Southwest region right now for a winter harvest are peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce.  For some ideas on which plants to sow and where in your Raised Garden Bed, visit Fall Vegetable Gardening in the Desert Southwest.  You can also plants trees and shrubs to prepare for spring, or plant winter cover crops to improve the quality of your soil for the next growing season.

At Frame it All, we believe gardening is for everyone. We hope these tips will help you keep your garden going year-round no matter where you live. Check back again for more regional gardening info, and don’t forget to share your tips with us!

For Southwesterners, it is best to get an early start on growing your cool season plants in the  fall and winter so that they thrive in the spring and avoid the extreme temperatures of the summer; however, the occasional winter frost can quickly destroy your hard work if you don’t properly protect your plants.  Luckily, our Cold Frame Greenhouses can be attached to our Raised Garden Beds to protect your plants throughout all sorts of inclement weather.  With a Greenhouse, you can plant your spring season crops early in the fall, enabling them to grow strong in spring and beat the heat of summer.  You’ll be able to grow all of your favorite veggies throughout the year.

We’ll share more about Southwestern gardening issues in the next blog.  In the meantime, take Elena’s advice and have some fun in your Southwest garden this year! If you’re gardening in this region and have any tips of your own, please share!

Five years ago, Tami started gardening at her home in Virginia as a way to relieve stress and get outside more often. “I started with flowers, but it seemed I had a knack for it, so I wanted to expand,” she told us, “I got the Frame it All raised bed at the end of season in 2010, and I just fell in love with it!”  Tami praised the customer service at Frame it All, and summed up her feelings about Frame it All product simply: “It lasts, I recommend it to everybody!”

Today, Tami’s thriving garden is a constant source of joy. Her favorite veggie to grow is zucchini, although it’s not her favorite to eat— she grows them to feed her family and friends.  She has grown other plants like strawberries and is currently tackling pumpkins. “I’ve never grown them before, but they’re looking good so far,” says Tami, “I like to change things up, make it interesting. I’m doing something different in my garden every day.”

Keep it up, Tami–we’re glad to be a part of your ever-changing garden!