Garden Curriculum

The Seed Spoon Science cohort received a Measure 43 Grant to develop and implement garden curriculum in the Tierra Viva garden. Curriculum development will begin during school year 2025-26.

Workday 1: Apple Collecting, Tree pruning

Goals and Overview: This session teaches how to harvest apples and prune trees responsibly to keep our garden healthy and productive. Participants learn simple, repeatable methods to harvest and prune with care in order to support plant health and sustainable gardening practices.

Apple Picking🍎:

Pick only ripe apples
look for firm fruit that easily twists off the branch.
Use two hands and avoid tugging to protect the tree.
Collect gently in baskets to prevent bruising and waste.

Tree & Plant Pruning 🌳:

Prune during dormant seasons to reduce stress on plants.
Remove dead, damaged, or crossing branches first.
Make clean, angled cuts just above a bud or branch collar, never tear or snap.
Always sanitize tools before and after use to prevent disease spread.

WORKDAY 2: Persimmon Harvesting, Foliage Maintenance, Woodchip Mulching, and Compost System Feeding

Goals and Overview: The goals of our second garden workday was to clean up the garden space and manage our harvest! We were able to harvest our over-flowing persimmon tree, prune tree branches and vines around Tierra Viva, rake up autumn leaves, mulch the exterior to a couple of our garden beds, and end the session by feeding our organic waste into the multiple compost systems within the garden.

Persimmon Harvesting: Autumn is persimmon season! Between the months of October through November the fruit trees will be flowering with the ripened fruit.

Harvest the fruits that are able to easily twist off the branch.
The darker orange ones are ready for picking/ eating, lighter persimmons should be left to continue growing.
If a fruit appears to be cracked open or partially eaten, put it into the compost pile!

Foliage Maintenance: Pruning trees and vines is crucial for their health, our safety, and future harvests.

Our persimmon tree had overgrown dead, and diseased branches. By getting rid of these pesky areas, this allows for more sunlight and air circulation throughout the healthier parts of the tree, motivating more growth and fruit production.
When pruning, make sure to use appropriate equipment such as shears, loopers, saws, and pruners.
Fun fact: this is Seed Spoon Science's first official harvest season!

Woodchip Mulching: Having woodchips throughout the garden is good and useful for many reasons! This session focused on surrounding garden beds for the upcoming season.

Mulching soil is useful to protect soil and crops during the harsh winter months by retaining moisture and overall improving soil health.
Putting woodchips around the garden is a good source of weed prevention.

Feeding Compost Systems: At the end of the workday, we take rotting or uneatable produce and add it to the multiple compost systems within the garden space.

Organic waste such as rotting produce is a great way to increase nitrogen levels in a compost system.
When we use materials from our garden workdays, we are able to create a circular garden system where our soil comes from the fruits of our labor.

Workday 3: Tree pruning, weeding, and harvest

Goals and Overview: This session teaches how weed effectivly, harvest garden produce, and prune tree’s responsibly and regularly to keep our garden healthy. Participants learn simple, repeatable methods to harvest and prune with care in order to support plant health and sustainable gardening practices.

Apple Picking:

Pick only ripe apples
look for firm fruit that easily twists off the branch.
Use two hands and avoid tugging to protect the tree.
Collect gently in baskets to prevent bruising and waste.

Tree & Plant Pruning :

Prune during dormant seasons to reduce stress on plants.
Remove dead, damaged, or crossing branches first.
Make clean, angled cuts just above a bud or branch collar, never tear or snap.
Always sanitize tools before and after use to prevent disease spread.

Workday 4: Fruit Harvesting, Seasonal Harvest Education, and Compost System Implementation

Goals and Overview:

The goals of our fourth workday were to harvest fruit, identify ripe produce, use simple harvesting tools, and understand how compost plays an important role in soil nourishment and garden health. Participants also learned about optimal seasons to collect fruits and how knowing the seasonal cycle can people plan harvests effectively.

Apple and Persimmon Harvesting 🍎:

People learned how to safely pick fruit from the apple and persimmon trees. Participants also used tools to harvest.

Harvest the ripe fruit that easily twists off the branch with both hands.
Look for the darker or deep-colored fruit that’s typically best for eating.
Any cracked, damaged, or partially eaten fruit should go into the compost pile.
Can use fruit picker to collect the fruit in the higher branches.
Can place fruits in baskets to prevent damage or bruising.

Seasonal Harvest Education 🌿:

We discussed when different fruit trees usually produce fruit in the garden to help predict harvesting times and manage fruit trees better.

Apples are primarily produced during late summer to fall (August to November).
Persimmons are usually produced in the fall and early winter (October to November).
Loquats are optimally produced in late spring and early summer (May through July).
Avocados are primarily produced during spring through summer/early fall (April to September).

Compost System Implementation 🌱:

To end our garden workday, we collected any inedible fruits and scraps and added it to the compost systems to contribute to long-term sustainability.

Composting returns essential nutrients to the soil and increases nitrogen levels.
By composting, we create a circular system where organic waste becomes new soil.
We compost to improve soil quality, allow healthy plants to grow, and support future crops.

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