The School Garden Podcast

It’s thyme to venture further into the world of herbs! In part two of our herb series, join Anne and Mary Jo as they go beyond the familiar to explore some more unusual herb choices. Listen along as they share tried-and-tested activities and ideas to incorporate herbs into your school garden program. From a pet café garden to gratitude herb bundles, there’s plenty to get your students picking, tasting, making, and learning.

Plus, Anne shares her experiment comparing hydroponic and outdoor-grown herbs, and Mary Jo momentarily seems to think that a dragon is a legitimate pet! 

Podcast Outline

00:42 – Introduction to Part Two
01:07 – How was your week?
02:04 – Introducing different and unusual herbs
03:04 – Stevia
04:45 – Angelica

More info on Angelica and Candied Angelica here 
05:49 – Caraway
07:14 – Borage
09:21 – Perilla / shiso
10:38 – Moringa
11:47 – Red flags: What to watch out for with herbs
14:57 – Just get outside and smell them!
15:38 – A permanent picking bed and picking events
16:47 – Planters and pots near doorways and walkways
17:50 – Connecting with culinary programs in your district
19:22 – A pet café garden!
21:00 – Gratitude herb bundles
24:04 – Herb butters
26:49 – Herb teas and waters

Our Tea Episode here

28:18 – What’s a spice, and what’s an herb?

Link to Costa's herb and a spice video  here

31:09 – Hydroponic vs. outdoor-grown herbs: Anne’s experiment

33:24 – More ways to incorporate herbs into your curriculum

34:38 – Outro

Stay in touch with us!

Email us: [email protected]

Find us on Instagram and Facebook at MadeGreene

www.madegreene.com

In part one of our two-part herb series, join Anne and Mary Jo for a little history, the benefits and the "grow-how” of our garden favorite and more recognizable herbs. Herbs bring so much more than flavor to the table—they deserve a place in every school garden and garden program.

Plus, Mary Jo goes all in with phenology (not to be mistaken for phrenology!), and Anne tells us all about how taste is really all about smell. 

Podcast Outline

00:18 - Episode Intro

00:42 - Welcome and Herb Introduction

03:47 - How Was Your Week

07:25 - Introducing Phenology, Not Phrenology

11:30 - Anne discusses the Gardener’s World Magazine Podcast Episode: Grow Your Own Hamnet-Inspired Herb Garden:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7962ZDddGyLvLMmfl20lLa?si=qIAT5dCaRSOQbLHOVYO1yA

13:20 - What Is An Herb?

17:10 - Perennials, Biennials, and Annuals

22:03 - Cilantro

25:27 - Parsley, Dill and Fennel

32:13 - Rosemary, Sage Oregano and Thyme (Mediterranean Herbs)

36:13 - Propagation: Cuttings and Division

41:31 - Lavender

43:47 - Basil

47:57 - Mint

50:35 - Chamomile

52:08 - Other Common Herbs: Chives, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena and Tarragon

52:54 - Outro

Stay in touch with us!

Email us: [email protected]

Find us on Instagram and Facebook at MadeGreene

www.madegreene.com

Gardens thrive when gardeners connect. Join Anne and Mary Jo as they dig into the importance of finding your people—the fellow garden folks who build community, share ideas and best practices, and remind us that being the garden person on campus doesn't have to mean going it alone. 

Plus, we chat with Daniel Barrera Ortega, Programs Coordinator at the School Garden Support Organization Network (SGSO)—the mother of all school garden networking organizations—as we agree that sometimes the best thing you can grow in a garden is your community.

Meanwhile, Anne gets a head start on her August seeds, while Mary Jo puts this week's episode into practice by reconnecting with all her garden programs and locking in the year ahead.

Podcast Outline:

00:11 - Welcome

00:41 - Intro - Community and Finding Your People

01:24 - How Has Your Week Been? Anne and Mary Jo share

05:00 - Mary Jo and Anne’s Friendship Origin Story

08:28 - Why Should We Seek Out Community?

12:30 - Breaking the Barriers

14:13 - Look Locally and Nationally and on a Personal and Organizational Level

23:21 - Interview with Daniel Barrera Ortega, Program Coordinator at SGSO (School Garden Support Organization)

SGSO Contacts:

Website: https://sgsonetwork.org/ 

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/sgsonetwork/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sgso-network/

46:42 - Get in Touch - [email protected]

47:34 - Outro

Links to Mentioned Organizations: 

Texas Organizations:

Tarrant Area Food Policy Council 

NTxSGN (North Texas School Garden Network)

Texas Children in Nature Network

Tarrant Area Food Bank - Community Gardening 

Listen to Mary Jo’s Webinar from SGSO where she talks about Wellness Partnerships in School Gardens.

National Organizations: 

Food Corps  

Working Food, Gainesville, FL

FRESHFARM FoodPrints  

Kids Gardening  

Nathan Larson, Wisconsin School Gardens

Growing School Gardens Summit 

Life Lab - 

American Horticultural Society - Youth Gardening 

Stay in touch with us!

Email us: [email protected]

Find us on Instagram and Facebook at MadeGreene

www.madegreene.com

Ready, set, GROW! Welcome back! If you're raring to get straight back into the garden this August, Anne and Mary Jo have you covered. Joined by community garden managers Joey Hughes and Anissa Garcia from The Ridglea Giving Garden, we dig into their expert tips for getting your garden—and your gardeners—back into the swing of things. From what to tackle first to what can wait, this episode will help you hit the ground growing and start the new school year with garden confidence!

Podcast Outline and Links:

00:42: Welcome - Intro - Ready and Raring to Get Back into The Garden

02:08: The Ridglea Giving Garden - Community Garden Managers Anissa Garcia and Joey Hughes

https://www.ridgleagivinggarden.com/

https://www.instagram.com/ridgleagivinggarden/

https://www.youtube.com/@RidgleaGivingGarden?app=desktop

04:46: Direct Seed Sowing in August

06:31:  Sowing from Transplants

08:25: Tokyo Bekana (Napa cabbage salad leaves) and lettuce

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/chinese-cabbage/tokyo-bekana-organic-f1-asian-green-seed-2251G.html?srsltid=AfmBOorUUk-p5ReXgR-26lFrYrbZcY5ECwjOHQ9fIBBj592ywXQut8p9

09:26: Keep an Eye on Temperatures; Ambient and Soil Temps

09:56: Starting from Seed Indoors

12:18: What Not to Do in August

12:56: Tips for Growing in August

15:01: Watering in August

17:24: Garden Planting Calendar Specific to Your Area and Last Frost Dates

20:08: Joey and Anissa’s Take on Growing with Kids

28:45: Goodbyes and Thanks

Stay in touch with us!

Email us: [email protected]

Find us on Instagram and Facebook at MadeGreene

www.madegreene.com

Ready to drill further into the data? Join Anne and Mary Jo for Part Two of this two-part series about data as they explore practical, and tried-and-tested ways to bring your school garden story to life. Mary Jo talks you through this spring's Potato Data Project, while Anne takes great heart in knowing that keeping it simple really does work best! How will you tell your story? 

Podcast Outline

00:20 - Intro

00:44 - Welcome to Part Two

00:18 - How Can You Record and Report Your Data? 

08:25 - Mary Jo’s Potato Harvest Data Project

17:39 - Anne Shares her Learning Measurement Data Project

19:24 - Keep it Simple and Happy Storytelling!

20:02 - Outro

Our Bento Box of Data can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L5MVsnqHwyAgP9Yp-x0CM-AzUxghPc3q/view?usp=sharing

Stay in touch with us!

Email us: [email protected]

Find us on Instagram and Facebook at MadeGreene

www.madegreene.com

Data doesn't have to be dull!

Join Anne and Mary Jo as they uncover how collecting the right data can transform your school garden story from a stack of photos and a handful of harvest numbers into a powerful tale of impact. Inspired by a thought-provoking conversation recorded at the Growing School Gardens Summit with Michele Hockett Cooper from The University of Texas at Austin and Zach O'Donnell from Edible Schoolyard New Orleans, this first episode of a two-part series explores why everything you do in your garden counts!

Plus, Mary Jo confesses her latest summer obsession with Season 5 of Clarkson's Farm, Anne has become a dehydration devotee, and we discover that every great garden story begins with a good number crunch.

Podcast Outline:

00:41 - Intro and Welcome

01:20 - How Has Your Summer Been Going? - Anne and Mary Jo share

• Find Clarkson’s Farm here - you are welcome!

06:15 - Intro to Telling Your Garden Data Story

08:28 - Anne’s Qualitative and Quantitative Complexities Soapbox

12:23 - Data Sharing Interview with Michelle Hockett-Cooper and Zach O’Donnell from The Sprout’s Growing School Garden Summit

• Michele Hockett-Cooper, Associate Professor of Instruction, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Texas at Austin. 

• Univeristy of Texas School Garden Research - Link here

• Zach O’Donnell at Edible School Yard, New Orleans 

27:02 - Mary Jo and Anne Reflect on the Interview

30:31 - Why Do the Data?

37:42 - End of Part One - Don’t Forget to Join Us for Part Two in the next episode.

Stay in touch with us!

Email us: [email protected]

Find us on Instagram and Facebook at MadeGreene

www.madegreene.com

Summer plans? Yes, friends, you made it! Giddy with garden freedom, Anne and Mary Jo talk about their summer plans and reintroduce last year’s Summer Gardening Episode. Whether it’s a needed daily summer garden fix or a hands-off, peace-out-see-you-in-August approach, this episode will help you plan what your school garden will look like this summer.

Podcast Outline

00:42: Introduction to summer episode: our summer plans and previews of future episodes-think shelf stable foods and gathering data for your garden program

07:40: Watering

09:08: Weeding

09:45: Solarizing

11:16: Humidity and air ventilation

12:16: Harvesting

13:27: Putting Beds to Bed!

14:06: Cover Cropping

15:20: What Can We Still Plant in the Summer? 

16:55: Pests in the Garden

19:20: Thinking and Planning for the Fall

21:40: Making Shade

24:03: Produce Slow-Down

26:26: Pickle Update!

29:10: Conclusion and Wishing Everyone a Great Summer Break … in the Garden or out. 

Pickle Recipes: 

Here is the recipe I used for the ⁠Dill Pickles⁠. I particularly enjoyed putting in flowering dill heads into my brine as my plant is at this stage - it gave it such a mellow dill flavor. 

Here is the recipe I followed for the ⁠Bread and Butter Pickles⁠ (minus cloves, as I don’t like cloves and I went 1/3 less on the sugar). 

Stay in touch with us!

Email us: [email protected]

Find us on Instagram and Facebook at MadeGreene

www.madegreene.com

Yes, you read that right - Sweetpotato all one word - it’s official! Join Anne and Mary Jo as they slip into everything you need to know about making sweetpotatoes a staple in your school garden this summer.  From spellbinding Latin taxonomy to a classic classroom Venn diagram - this episode has it all.

Plus, Mary Jo may be packing her bags for North Carolina and discover just how far Anne will go in pursuit of the perfect sweetpotato cure. It’s science and storytelling with a huge helping of classroom-to-garden goodness.

Podcast Outline:

00:20 - Intro

00:42 - Welcome to the Sweetpotato Episode 

1:06 -  How was your week? Counting in 2s with Basil 

05:23 - Intro and History of The Sweetpotato Plant

08:13 - Growing in Colder Climates

09:05 - The North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission - Website and Resources https://ncsweetpotatoes.com/curriculum/

Sweetpotato is one word! Sign the Petition here

14:45 - The Differences of Irish and Sweetpotato - Venn Diagram Style!

20:02 - Starting Sweetpotatoes by Slips 

25:05 - Breaking off / Harvesting Sweetpotato Slips 

26:08 - Ornamental and Non-Ornamental Sweetpotato Vines

28:52 - How to Plant Sweetpotato Slips 

31:05 - Caring for Sweetpotato Plants

34:10 - Harvesting Sweetpotatoes

38:48 - Curing Sweetpotatoes and Storage

43:11 - Eating and Tasting

44:56 - The North Carolina SweetPotato Commission Jingle!

47:19 Outro

Stay in touch with us!

Email us: [email protected]

Find us on Instagram and Facebook at MadeGreene

www.madegreene.com

Pop the kettle on and join Anne and Mary Jo as they spill the tea! Listen alongside as we show you how to celebrate your garden in a cup. From herbal teas to fresh water infusions, refreshing aguas frescas, and smoothies—garden tastings don’t have to be just about eating… sipping with your students is just as sweet! Plus, Mary Jo creates a manifesto where every household owns a teapot and Anne ponders the notion of cold days. 

Podcast Outline

00:41 - Intro

01:31 - How Has Your Week Been, Anne? 

03:29 - Introduction to Teas in the Garden

05:50 - Reasons Why We Should Incorporate Tea into Your Garden Program

12:24 - The History of Tea

14:02 - The Origins of Tea: From Medicine to Daily Taste

16:45 - The Tea Plant: Camellia sinensis

21:17 - Using Fresh Herbs for Tea

25:44 - Using Tea Bags and Dried Herbs

32:12 - Equipment and Materials Needed 

34:41 - Hot Water Considerations 

35:40 - Other Considerations for Tea Making

36:54 - Kids Pallets and the Sweetness Situation

40:08 - Butterfly Pea Tea: Color and Science. 

43:57 Can we eat it? Edible or Ornamental

45:48 - Water Infusions / Cold Teas

49:20 - Agua Frescas

51:00 - Smoothies

Listen to the After School Cooking Club Episode

53:15 - Outro 

Helpful Resources

Butterfly Pea Plant

Butterfly Pea Tea

Herbal Tea Combinations and Drying Herbs.

Agua Fresca recipes

Garden Smoothies

For more tasting and smoothie ideas, listen to Season 2. Episode 9 - The After-School Cooking Clubs Episode

Are you and your garden committee in need of some support and mentorship? In this episode Mary Jo talks with Laura Thomas and Peggy Word from The Eden Project UT. Listen along as they discuss their organization and share details about their nationwide school garden coaching program, SproUTing Teachers.

With two pathways to choose from—Individual Teaching Coaching or Group Garden Leadership Coaching to support your whole committee—this mentorship course is designed to set you and your garden program up for long-term success and sustainability.

Applications for the 2026–2027 school year are open now through May 1st, 2026.

Eden Project UT Website:

https://www.edenut.org⁠

More Information about the Coaching Programs:

https://www.edenut.org/programs 

Application Link:
SproUTing Teachers