Last Spring posed an extra challenge for our gardens and trees, a record breaking drought. As this summer approaches, we encourage you to use our annual mini-grant to make a summer plan. This can include a shared google doc, an old fashioned clip board for stewards to sign up to water, a chat with your Custodial Engineer to water on no-rain weeks (here’s a reminder on how to use the tree gator bags), or buying the tools you need to make it as easy as possible. Here are a few ways we’ve seen schools pass the torch (or the watering can)!

PS 19M keeps their water key locked in a lockbox attached the fence next to their hose. This allows them to leave their hose out without worry that it will get turned on and unattended. The lock box has a word passcode that’s easy to pass along to trusted stewards. And they haven’t lost their water key once!

PS 38K – if your custodial is willing to hook up a sprinkler and place it in a central part of your garden, that can be a great way to get your plants thoroughly watered. We recommend this solution early in the morning or when the sun goes down to avoid water evaporation.

PS 107X attached their drip irrigation hose along their fence with zip-ties. This allows them to secure the hose, keep it visible as a reminder to water, and keep it from getting too grimy.

This tip comes from my days working at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. We would set out a big tub of water and a bunch of kid-sized watering cans so that kiddos could dip their cans and water plants. *Supervision Required – never leave kids under supervised around even a small amount of standing water.* The tub would go fast and need to get refilled every hour. This would be a great strategy for an after-school program. Be sure to dump all the water out to avoid mosquitoes.

Let us know if you need a new hose, hose cart, nozzle, watering key, or watering cans! We want to set your garden up for success!