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SUGGESTED SCHOOL VICTORY GARDEN PROJECT
For Grades 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Procedure: The county
superintendent, the supervising principal, the principal, and the grade
teacher, with the help of the art department and the local Victory
Garden chairman would work out this project. The project would be a
garden plot covering an area 8 by 10 feet, suitable for younger
children, but conceivably could be increased in cases where children are
able to care for larger areas.
Presuming that the first crop is radishes, on his garden plan the child
will draw two parallel lines in brown crayon, representing the opening
of the furrow and the planting of the seed, and note the date on the
margin of his chart. When the plants appear the child will draw a line
of green dots between the two brown lines, again noting the date. When
the first of his crop is harvested, he will make a red X beside the row,
giving the date. The plan is the same throughout.
In miniature, this project gives a horticultural gamut dealing with leaf
crops, root crops, and fruiting crops, and the technique of raising from
seed, from sets, and from transplants, the latter being provided by
starting the tomatoes from seed in the class room.
The school could turn to the local Victory Garden chairman and the
vocational agriculture teacher for all information as to correct
planting dates for the region, soil tests, etc., and ask for inclusion
in the Victory Garden community plot for such children as have no
available land for this gardening. At the proper time the authorized
State Victory Garden Certificate would be issued by the Victory Garden
chairman to all school children enrolled in the movement.
This project would be highly personalized for the child and should hold
his interest. It would give him exercise in exactness in his work on the
chart and manual dexterity in working with the soil. It would also
instigate a competitive spirit in the child. Likewise, a very practical
lesson in arithmetic is included in keeping an accurate account of the
profits received from his vegetables above the amount expended. This
project also correlates with nature study, science, and nutrition.
The charts could be mimeographed, with the help of the art department in
drawing the vegetables at the margin of the plot. The children
themselves would color the vegetables. Suggested vegetables from the top
to the bottom of the chart are radish, tomato (4 plants to the row,
staked, and set from started plants), onions (planted from sets),
carrots, beets, lettuce, soy beans (variety Bansei is suggested—Soy
beans are practically immune to Mexican Bean Beetle), and peas (extra
early and dwarf varieties such as Little Marvel and American Wonder are
suggested, to mature and be harvested, allowing space for development).
This plot presumably needs no spraying.
If desired, the school could request that the local Victory Garden
chairman or members of his committee visit the gardens during the
summer.
Perhaps, in the fall, when the charts are all returned to the school, a
complete master plan of the school children's contribution to Victory
Gardens could be put on display, showing the entire output. |
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click for larger photo
Victory Gardens
Handbook of the
Victory Garden Committee
War Services, Pennsylvania
State Council of Defense
April, 1944
TABLE OF CONTENTS
page v
page vi
page vii
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