1. Indoor Gardening In Alaska Schools

2. National program to assist teachers in making students aware of the role of agriculture in our lives.
Funded in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and each respective state.
Serves students in grades K-12.
Each program presents factual information about farming unique to each state.

3. Teachers Know It Research Shows It
Why Garden in Schools?
Teachers Know It Research Shows It
84.3% of teachers exposed to school gardens think gardens help students learn more effectively.
(Skelly and Bradley 2000)

4. Academic Gains
“Participants in a school garden program experienced significant gains in overall GPA in math and science.” (Murphy 2003)
“Students engaged in hands-on gardening lessons showed increased positive attitudes towards content material and learning in general.”
(Bell 2001; Waliczek 2003)

5. Core Subject Matter www.lifelab.org/schoolgardensurvey
All bar graphs and charts are from data based on the 2011 CA School Garden Survey. 500 School gardens responded.

7. Science Connections Life Science Earth Science Living – Non-Living
Plant Growth and Life Cycles
Plant Structures
Wildlife and Habitats
Food Chains and Webs
Plant Adaptations
Earth Science
Weather
Soil
Water Cycle
Light
Energy
Water and Plant Needs
Physical Science pH
Light Wavelength
Chemical Changes
Water Properties

8. Mathematic Connections
Developing and Planning out Growing Systems
Temperature Graphs and Charts
Weight and Volume
Growth Rates of Plants – measuring height, length of roots, etc.
Seed Germination Rates
Cooking and Developing Recipes

9. History – Social Studies Connections
Research Agricultural History of Community
Visit Local Farms and Farmers – Oral History
Research History of Plants and Development of Varieties
Cultural Food Practices

10. English – Language Arts Connections
Journals
Read Books about Plants and Gardens
Research Papers on Plants
Writing and Following Directions for Projects
Vocabulary
Writing Letters to Farmers and Merchants
Scientific Nomenclature
Poems or Stories About Plants and Growing

11. Health and Nutrition Connections
Healthy Benefits of Local Foods
Plant Nutritional Value
Plants and Parts We Eat
Comparative Taste Tests
Food Preservation
Grocery Store and Cafeteria Food Evaluations
Learning to Grow Your Own Food
Harvesting Your Own Crop

12. Other ways gardens are used
Survey Slide of other areas that garden are used
All bar graphs and charts are from data gathered from the 2011 CA School Garden Survey. 500 School gardens responded.
Non Core Subject Matter taught in school gardens.

13. How Are School Gardens Funded?
All bar graphs and charts are from data gathered from the 2011 CA School Garden Survey. 500 School gardens responded.
It often takes a diversity of funding streams to support a garden.

14. Community and Social Development
Studies show that school gardening increased self-esteem, help students develop a sense of ownership and responsibility, help foster relationships with family members, and increase parental involvement. (Alexander, J. & D. Hendren, (1998)

15. Environmental and Agriculture Literacy
Students need to know where their food comes from and how it impacts the environment.

16. Cold Climate Outdoor Garden Projects
Outdoor vs. Indoor Garden Projects
It isn’t out of the realm to garden outdoors in Alaska. But due to cold weather right up to the end of the school year, truly integrated outdoor gardens often are not possible. Indoor gardening has become a positive alternative to traditional school gardens.
Cold Climate Outdoor Garden Projects

17. Ruby’s Merreline A. Kangas School
This school located on the Yukon River decided to put in a project to help the grounds be a better habitat for wildlife, including insects. This pollinator garden was started in Due to lack of staff in the summer months, the garden was successful for a few years but then was somewhat neglected. Residents are often out of the village during the summer months fighting fires or fishing.
Pollinator Garden near front entrance 2014

18. Hydroponic Growing System at Ruby School - 2015
During the visit in 2015, we worked with the 6-12 teacher at the school to install a simple hydroponic system in their older grade classroom.

19. What is Hydroponic Gardening?
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in water without soil. The water must be enriched with nutrients and the plants need some type of inert medium to support the root system.
Hydroponics comes from the Greek language and it literally means let the water do the work.
"hydro" means "water"
"ponos" means ”work".
growgenius.co.uk/
Soil-less growing!

20. Advantages
Faster Growth- Hydroponics works by automatically getting the complete nutrient mixture and water to the roots without drowning the plant. Plants get everything they need all the time, so they do not waste growing a lot of roots or searching for nutrients.

21. Advantages
No Weeds or Pests- Gardening without soil eliminates the weeds do you do not need weed sprays. Also, because there are no weeds, there will be no backache from a hoe or rototiller. Since most pests live and breed in the soil, you do not need to use pesticides or other toxic chemicals.

22. Disadvantages
Cost of initial investment on hydroponic systems is somewhat high.
Hydroponic production is management, capital and labor intensive.
A high level of expertise is required.
Daily attention is necessary.
Specially formulated, soluble nutrients must always be used.
Pests and diseases remain a big risk.
Some water born diseases can spread rapidly in recirculation system.

23. Simple Floating Platform Hydroponic System Using a Fish Tank
Many premade systems can cost quite a bit. Using what you have available, like an old fish tank, can work just as well. Keeping on top of the pH of the water and testing regularly can insure healthy plants.

24. Simple Floating Platform Hydroponic System Using a Storage Tub
Using storage totes can also work well.

25. Aquaponics
Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (growing plants in media other than soil).
The standard aquaponics unit works by creating a nitrogen cycle.
In the fish tank, fish produce waste that is high in ammonia content. Bacteria process it into an extremely rich fertilizer that’s high in nitrogen.
The vegetables extract the nitrogen from the water, making the water safe for reintroduction to the fish tank.

26. Nutrient Film Technique Systems
Most Popular
Also known as gutter hydroponics
Nutrient Solution washed on to plant roots
Reservoir contains nutrient solution which is pumped through system using a water pump

27. Hydroponic Grow Tower
Simple construction using hardware store 5 gallon plastic buckets and lids.
Uses 2 square feet of space to grow large amounts of leafy veggies.
Uses Nutrient Film Technique with a pump system in the lower reservoir bucket.
Does require power tools, but all can be prepared in advance before assembly.
Costs less than $300 in supplies to build.

28. Harvest Time!

29. Find Some Help For Your Project
Local Garden Club
Local Gardeners
Senior Centers
UAF Cooperative Extension Service
Master Gardeners
Local Greenhouses
Indoor Growing Stores
Facebook Groups

30. Melissa Sikes
Alaska Ag in the Classroom
Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District
590 University Ave Suite 2
Fairbanks, AK 99709
x105