School Gardens with Ease
Discover how to effortlessly integrate school gardens into your elementary or middle school curriculum with the School Gardens with Ease Podcast. This podcast is your go-to resource for creating flourishing and productive food gardens that provide long-term educational benefits. Learn tips, strategies, and insights to help you grow and maintain a sustainable school garden that enhances your teaching and inspires students for years to come.
Episodes
53 episodes
52: What It Really Takes to Grow a Successful School Garden
What does it really take to grow a thriving school garden year after year? Spoiler alert: it’s not a big budget, a huge team, or fancy tech. In this episode, I share the key ingredients behind the success ...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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10:00
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51: How to Set Up Your School Garden for a Stress-Free Summer
Welcome to Episode 51 of School Gardens with Ease! As the school year winds down, are you heading into summer break with peace of mind, or dread, when it comes to your school garden? In this episode...
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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10:15
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School Garden Timing: The Make-or-Break Factor
Are you unknowingly sabotaging your school garden project with poor timing? In this fiery episode, Leila Mireskandari tackles one of the most overlooked — and crucial — aspects of school gardening: plant timing.From high school sc...
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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10:07
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49: Biodiverse School Gardens
The Secret to Low-Maintenance, Biodiverse School GardensIn this episode of School Gardens with Ease, host Leila Mireskandari dives into the concept of biodiversity and how it can be the game-changing secret to creating thriving,...
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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8:53
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48: Avoid Transplant Shock – How to Harden Off School Garden Seedlings
In this episode of the School Gardens with Ease podcast, Leila Mireskandari dives into the crucial steps of transplanting seedlings into your school garden. Whether you've been growing seedlings with your students in the classroom, sel...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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15:57
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47: Should You Have People Fertilizing Your School Garden During Summer?
Are you overwhelmed by the idea of fertilizing your school garden during summer break—or worse, feeling disappointed when your garden underperforms come fall?In this episode, Leila Mireskandari shares a powerful shift in perspective: ...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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7:07
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46: Is Your School Garden’s Summer Cleanup Too Much?
Welcome back to School Gardens with Ease! I’m your host, Leila Mireskandari, and in this episode, we’re tackling a question that comes up a lot around this time of year:👉 How much cleanup does a school garden really n...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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8:13
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45: No Weeds Allowed in School Gardens! (But Don’t Panic if One Shows Up)
Weeding might be the most dreaded chore for school garden volunteers, especially during the summer—but what if it didn’t have to be? In this episode, Leila challenges the common belief that weeds are inevitable in gardens. She breaks down why w...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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10:11
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44: Will Your School Garden turn into a Hot Mess?
Is your school garden going to thrive this summer—or completely overwhelm your volunteers and fizzle out in a tangle of weeds?In this episode of School Gardens with Ease, I’m diving back into summer maintenance (yep, agai...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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8:26
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Can a School Garden Thrive with No Summer Maintenance?
Short answer: No. But the longer answer might surprise you!Summers can be tough on school gardens—drought, weeds, and neglect often leave them struggling. But what if your school garden could be designed to require almost zero...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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11:23
Why Water Matters – For Your Garden, Your Students, and the World
🌱 Welcome to another episode of School Gardens with Ease! I’m your host, Leila Mireskandari, and today’s episode is a special one—part of the Podcasthon movement, where over a thousand podcasts highlight a...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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8:41
Spring Cleaning Mistakes That Hurt Your School Garden
🌱 Happy Spring Equinox! As gardeners, we’re excited to welcome spring, but before you grab your rake and start clearing up your school garden, pause and listen to this episode first!In today’s episode, I’m talking about one...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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10:50
40: Should You Use Plastic to Grow Food?
Welcome to School Gardens with Ease! I’m your host, Leila Mireskandari, and in this episode, we’re diving into an important and sometimes controversial question: Should we use plastic to grow food?In This Episode:...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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10:35
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39: Humanizing Learning with Thinkering Collective
Are you passionate about transforming education by humanizing learning? If so, this episode is for you!In this episode of School Gardens with Ease, I introduce you to Thinkering Collective—a movement dedicated to empowe...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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4:24
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38: Which Oasis Program is Right for You?
Are you an elementary or middle school teacher eager to grow a thriving classroom or school garden, without extra work outside of class time? In this episode, I break down the four programs in the Oasis Program Series to help you find ...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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7:28
37: School Gardens: Vendor-Led vs. Teacher-Led
Welcome to Episode 37 of School Gardens with Ease! In this episode, I dive into a question I often get from teachers and principals:"Can you come in and run the school garden program for us?"My short answer? No. ...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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10:36
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A Smart Approach to Funding Your School Garden
Let's delves into the common misconception that funding and approvals are the primary obstacles to creating a successful school garden. How about some insights on how to make the most of available resources and an emphasis on the importance of ...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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8:07
35: Example Lesson Plan: The 7 Layers of a School Garden Lesson Plan
In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain to give you a sneak peek into one of the gardening lesson plans from my OASIS programs. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to seamlessly integrate gardening into your curriculum while engaging yo...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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18:54
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34: Let’s Write Those Gardening Lesson Plans (Part 2)
Welcome back to School Gardens with Ease! In this episode, we’re diving into part 2 of writing effective lesson plans for your school garden project. If you haven’t listened to Episode 33 yet, make sure to go back and do that fi...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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7:32
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33: From Garden to Curriculum, Not The Other Way Around!
Today, on the School Gardens with Ease podcast, we’re talking about a crucial part of creating successful school gardens: lesson planning.If you’re new here, one key thing to know is that school gardens should be grown by students, le...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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18:05
32: Teacher Pulling Back the Curtain to Oasis Programs (Part 2)
Welcome back to Part 2 of my conversation with Shant, a passionate teacher who has made classroom and school gardening a cornerstone of his teaching practice. In this episode, we dive deeper into Shant’s experience:Transitioning fro...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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26:07
31: Teacher Pulling Back the Curtain to Oasis Programs (Part 1)
In this special two-part series, I sit down with Shant, an inspiring grade eight teacher who transformed his classroom with the Oasis Classroom program. Shant Sourian shares his journey from being, a hesitant new teacher, to becoming a passiona...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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26:06
30: It’s Time to Dream a 2025 School Garden
Welcome to the Final Episode of 2024!In this reflective and inspiring episode, Leila Mireskandari wraps up the year by encouraging you to look back on your school garden journey (or none thereof) in 2024 and dream big for 2025. It’s ...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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12:03
29: How to Create a Thriving Educational School Garden
Thriving School Gardens don't happen by accident! In this episode of School Gardens with Ease, I’m guiding you through the steps to create an impactful, sustainable, and educational garden at your school. Whether you’re a teacher o...
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Episode 29
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15:10
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28: Growing School Gardens with Ease – The Shortcut to Success
Looking for a shortcut to an easy school garden?Welcome to Episode 28 of School Gardens with Ease! In this special episode, your host Leila Mireskandari shifts gears to share what’s been on her mind lately—her annual free 70-min...
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Episode 28
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16:04
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