Getting the most out of a group garden plot boils down to planning. One of the best tools to teach planning is based on the idea that if a garden is covered by a grid of 1’x1′ squares, then it is easy to determine how many items to plant and where to plant them. This also turns out to be a first-rate method for teaching the concepts of area and perimeter.

The idea is simple, as you can see by the picture in the upper righthand corner of this webpage. Gardeners use string, rope, or some other material to cover the garden space in a grid like the one above. The grid can be freestanding. Or, you can anchor the grid with popsicle sticks or stakes at either end of each grid line.

Some Discussion Questions (Good for 2 to 3 meetings):

1. Before showing students this method, you might begin by asking them straight out if anyone can guess the area of the garden before them or the floor on which they are standing. Students will have various answers. Those answers should be noted and discussed. The main idea you should look to emphasize is that area is “the number of squares that it takes to cover a particular shape or space.”
   
   Do not tell students this straight away. Rather use the discussion to home in on the idea many of their ideas for describing area will not help them decide how many seeds it will take to plant a garden or how many tiles it will take to cover a floor. Thus, it is not enough to say the area is the space inside of a shape. True though the statement is, it is not “metric,” meaning that it will not help us measure out exactly how much material we might have to buy in order to cover it.
   
2. Once that waypoint is reached in the discussion, the next question becomes, does it matter what size squares we use to cover a garden? Are tiny squares or bigger squares best for trying to cover the garden? If you have some precut squares available, you might even pull them out at this point and ask students to pick from say a square centimeter, square inch, square foot, and possibly even a square yard.
   
3. In a sizable garden, the most convenient measure of coverage for planting is the square foot. If you decide to discuss why, the reason is because the squares must serve two purposes. First, they must be big enough to cover the garden without too much trouble. Second, they must be small enough so the gardener can estimate where to place each individual plant within the square. Measuring in square miles would be to big. And measuring in square inches would be too small.
   
4. Once the group has agreed upon and understands why squares work best for finding the area of a garden, ask if anyone can guess the number of squares it will take to cover their garden. Take a moment to write down the guess. Perhaps make it a game with a prize for the person who is closest. But DO NOT tell students the answer or who is closest.
   
5. Instead, give them some string, rope, popsicles sticks (or stacks) and a tape measure and ask them if them if they can figure out a way to get the exact answer. Give hints as necessary to steer them in the right direction, perhaps by strongly complimenting good student comments, maybe occasionally interjecting a pivotal idea if necessary to move the group towards an answer in the time allotted.
   
6. Once the students have laid out a proper grid, the squares can be counted and prizes given for the closest answer. Then, if a shortcut for counting all the squares has not already been suggested, offer another prize for anyone who can figure out a way to find the total number of squares (the total garden area) without actually counting them one-by-one. Give the prize to the person who finally realizes, or remembers from earlier in the discussion, that you can multiply the number of squares in the length by the number of squares in the width to get the total area. Then, discuss why this method works, perhaps beginning with having the winner explain his or her answer to the rest of the group.
   
7. If time permits, ask the group how many steps it would take to walk around the outside of the garden. Once that answer is arrived at ask if it is the same as the number of squares around the outside of the garden. In discussing these two questions, arrive at the concept of perimeter and, eventually, a shortcut of how to find the perimeter without counting the outside of every single square.
   
8. Leave the grid students have built in the garden. In a follow-on meeting, review these ideas for finding area and perimeter. Then, show them the chart just below the next paragraph. Based on the size of their garden, discuss how many tomato plants they would be able to plant in their garden if that was the only crop. Or how many cucumber plants if that was the only crop. Or how many chives and lettuce plants if half the garden were to be planted with each crop, and so on.
   
9. Divide students up into small groups, then hand each group a garden planting combination to figure out as a group. Once everyone has an answer, have each group explain how they arrived at their answers. Divide students up into small groups, then hand each group a garden planting combination to figure out as a group. Once everyone has an answer, have each group explain how they arrived at their answers.
   
   

Do not actually plan the garden just yet. Before that happens, companion plants will also need to be discussed (1 meeting), as well as what plants are most appropriate for your climate (1 meeting). Then the group can begin the detailed planting of the garden (2 meetings).