The 2011 ASHS Annual Conference

The gardening season for New York schools is constrained both in fall and spring by the short seasons of favorable weather.  Commercial growers have successfully extended their growing and marketing seasons by the use of unheated high tunnels, so can this technology be adapted to school gardening programs?  We are in the beginning stages of a 3-year federally-funded program, in which tunnels will be introduced into one rural and one urban school in each of the next 3 years.  So far, the reception of the program by schools has been enthusiastic, but we are wondering whether to leave curriculum development up to the teachers in each of the schools, or what assistance we can provide to maximize educational benefits.  In the workshop, we would like to identify sources of improved curricula suitable for high tunnels, and explore the possibility of joint projects with other states.