Garden Retreat

The Birdville Garden Team attended a Real School Garden Retreat this weekend. We learned how to pick a good spot for a garden. We practiced conducting a site inventory of Historic Fire station No. 5, home of the Real School Garden Offices.

When planning the perfect place for your garden, you should consider the natural conditions that are already present. According to Real School Gardens, you should also keep in mind the following factors:

Microclimate - Sun, shade, wind and temperature

Topography - Slope, or steepness of the site.

Drainage - Where does the water flow?

Soil - What kind of soil do you have? Sandy, clay, silt, or loam

Existing Vegetation - Trees, shrubs and grass

Existing conditions - Parking lots, sidewalks, playgrounds

Wildlife - Animal habitats

Ecology - The natural history of your area

Utilities - Location of power, gas, cable, water and phone lines

Views - Notice the good and bad

We also learned how to generate ideas of creating a dream garden. We were told to DREAM BIG! Each garden team member wrote down the items they would like to see in their dream garden. When we go back to BES, we will do this same activity with the BES staff to see what the teachers want out of our garden. Then, the teachers will complete the activity with their classes to see what the students want in our garden. Once all the ideas are compiled, we will be able to assess the community, staff and students want in our garden.