School Garden Philosophy

Our methods are based on natural systems and ecological design. We believe in making gardens that fill needs and fit into the ecosystem of your school. Your garden will be based the kids and teachers who will be using it: what do they eat? How can we reduce the impact of your school through food consumption and better land-use? How does the school’s human population fit into the ecosystem?

Part of growing food is striking a balance between all the ecosystem’s different elements: plants, soil, water, bugs and other critters, and of course, you. If the balance is disrupted, that’s when we get serious pest problems and plant diseases. In conventional agriculture chemical pesticides and fertilizers are used as quick fixes. They attempt to make up for imbalances in the ecosystem, such as lack of beneficial organisms and poor soil, by adding more human inputs: in other words, they address the symptoms, not the cause. Organic agriculture simply means that no chemicals are used: the word “organic” doesn’t guarantee that the ecosystem is healthy. At Heart Beet we try to go beyond the mere definition of “organic” and design gardens that are balanced, productive, and healthy. These robust, complex and largely self-sustaining systems take time to become established depending on the current health of your yard’s ecosystem, so please be patient with your garden and understand that it may take a few seasons to get your garden’s groove going. Remember that though our gardens may not always look as neat as long rows of corn production, your plants, and therefore your food, will be healthier than anything grown conventionally.