Edible Crop Planning

March 25, 2010

ANNUAL AND PERENNIAL PLANTS DEFINED

Annuals plants grow from a planted seed to maturing and producing new seeds within a year. They complete their whole lifecycle in one year or season. Annual plants make up most of our vegetable crops, and many of them can be harvested within 2 to 3 months after sowing. (Bi-annual plants are similar to annuals but they may live up to two years before producing seeds and coming to the end of their lives.)

Perennial plants are those living more than 2 seasons. See planting perennials and fruit trees in school gardens

ANNUAL PLANT CROP PLANNING

Annuals are generally classified as a “warm season” crop or a “cool season” crop

Cool season crops thrive in cool areas or during cooler months of the year. They can often withstand frost.

Generally they are the root, stem, leaf, and flower bud crops.
In mild winter areas late summer or fall planted cool season crops can “overwinter” and be harvested into or throughout the winter. Cool season crops are also planted in later winter or early spring for a harvest before school gets out.

Warm season crops thrive in warm areas or during the hotter months of the year. They cannot tolerate frost.

Generally they are the fruit and seed crops.
They are planted in the spring after the risk of frost or in the summer. Warm season crops are harvested in the warmer months of the year.

Gardeners use planting charts and/or the information found on seed packets to determine when to plant an annual plant. Some planting charts and seed packets refer to weeks before or after “average last frost” dates as a reference point to guide of when to sow seeds or plant transplants outdoors.

How to Find Your Average Frost Dates

Victory Seeds lists frost dates for Canada and the U.S.
Contact your local Master Gardener or Cooperative Extension Office to learn more about regional planting guides.

VEGETABLE CROP PLANNING GUIDES

Gardeners use crop planning guides or the information on a seed packet to guide them in their crop planning

Learn How to Read a Seed Packet

Useful Crop Planning Guides

Johnnyseeds.com – just enter your average last frost date and their tool will estimate your planting times
Life Lab’s Planting for a School Year Harvest – a simple list of edible crops suitable for mild winter area planting.
Territorial Seed Spring and Fall/Winter Garden Guides They also include great information about growing a fall/winter garden (which is great for schools) Note: in mild winter areas some crops can be planted a couple weeks later than noted in their chart, but don’t wait too long, you want your little plants to be establish before day light decreases and temperatures drops.
National Gardening Association’s Food Garden Guide : Detailed information on planting, care and harvesting of garden plants.
Burpee.com : Great information on gardening and seed catalog, sign up for regional garden reports, visit their “library” for plant care and harvest information. visit their “nutrition guide” for vegetable nutrient content and garden kitchen tips.

PLANNING YOUR SCHOOL’S EDIBLE HARVEST

One of the most challenging aspects planning a school garden harvest is that most crops are ready for harvest in the summer months when most schools are out of session. With a bit of planning you can create a crop harvest schedule that fits with your school year.

Here are the three main “windows” for planting and harvesting in a traditional school year calendar:

Late Spring Harvest – cool season crops planted in late winter-early spring can be harvested before school lets out.
Fall Harvest – warm season crops planted in late spring (right before school lets out) can be harvested when school starts back up assuming the garden is watered and weeded during the summer.
Fall/Winter Harvest – cool season crops planted in late summer-early fall can be harvested in the late fall-winter time.

Sample School Garden Planting Guides

for North Texas Schools, DC Schools and for Tucson, AZ Schools

Seed packets and crop information sites list the “days to harvest”. The days to harvest are an approximation of how many days it will take for your plant to go from a newly sown seed to an edible treat. Refer to days to harvest to help plan your harvest dates. It is simple as setting the day you’d like to harvest a crop, finding the days to harvest of the particular crop and then counting backwards to determine your sowing date. Of course there are many other variables like the weather, irrigation, fertilization, and pests that may accelerate or retard a plants growth but all of those variables are learning opportunities for the gardener(s).

Generic planning guide for a temperate area

Click for Edible Crop Planning Resources including the chart above:

Annual Crop Planning for School Garden and Crop Planning Worksheet – a PDF summary of the information on this page.
Edible Theme Garden Calendar – an Excel document created for the Central Coast of California which can be modified for your growing conditions.
Edible Theme Garden Plans – edible theme seed packet collections and lesson ideas on how to teach crop planning to adults and older students.
- Snacking Garden, Salad Garden, Stir Fry Garden, Pizza Bed, Three Sisters (Corn Beans and Squash)

PLANNING A FALL HARVEST

One mistake many new school gardeners make is planting a garden that matures during summer while students are away. If you are serious about harvesting vegetables in the fall, pick long season vegetable varieties. Read the “days till harvest” listing on the back of seed packages and plan accordingly. If you want to eat fresh corn in September with your students, plant 90-100 day corn in late May instead of 70 day corn. Better yet plant crops that can dry in the garden like popcorn. Popcorn can dry in the field for weeks once mature whereas sweet corn needs to be harvested within a week or two window. Also remember that many vegetables need to be harvested to keep producing throughout the summer so make sure your summer garden guardians harvest regularly to encourage continual fruiting. It is also a good idea to plant later in the spring or in early summer so that the crops will mature later in the summer or early fall when students return to school

Try planting some of these crops in late May or June and come back to school with something to harvest.

Popcorn ~ Shelling Bean (dry beans) ~ Edible / Birdseed Sunflowers ~ Winter (Hard) Squash or Pumpkins ~ Peppers ~ Eggplant ~ Melons Potatoes ~ Tomatoes

Try planting a Three Sisters Garden with popcorn, winter squash, and dry beans. Our friends at www.kidsgardening.org have a good article on the Three Sisters Garden.

Gateway School Garden in Santa Cruz has a great annual planting plan that includes grade specific edible theme beds with academic connections. See Gateway’s Life Lab Year Round Plan

Learn more about planting out your school garden in Gardens for Learning Chapter 7 Planting Your School Garden