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School Gardens Collection Digital Collection

Gardening as part of the school curriculum began in the United States in the early 1900s and is still thriving today. Magazine articles, education and extension bulletins were written to support the growing of food and the responsibility of gardening for children. At the advent of World War I, the US Bureau of Education with funding from the War Department created the United States School Garden Army (USSGA) to boost the concept as well as morale. The target audience was urban and suburban boys and girls, ages 9 through 15, and their teachers. This was one of the first attempts by the BOE to establish a curriculum nationally. It was also an attempt to help in the war effort by having the schools help grow food. To support this program a series of documents were written and distributed. Among these were the USSGA Manuals and Guides, and 17 School Home-Garden Circulars. The subjects covered growing vegetables from seed, growing flowers, building hotbeds and coldframes, organic matter and soil health, regional guides and others. As well as primary sources of gardening information from 1919, these guides are still applicable to the teachers, parents and gardeners of today. --Suzi Teghtmeyer, Agriculture, Botany and Forestry Librarian

Items in the School Gardens Collection collection:
Thumbnail Image Title Publisher Author Call Number Description Available Format(s)
Sample image of A course in vegetable gardening for teachers
A course in vegetable gardening for teachers
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, Dept. of Interior, 1916
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home-gardening circular 2
Sample image of A few good books and bulletins on nature study, school gardening, and elementary agriculture for common schools
A few good books and bulletins on nature study, school gardening, and elementary agriculture for common schools
Washington, D.C. : United States Dept. of Agriculture, Office of Experiment Stations, 1903
Crosby, D. J.
Pubilshed as Circular (United States. Office of Experiment Stations) no. 52
Sample image of A German common school with a garden
A German common school with a garden
Washington, D.C. : United States Dept. of Agriculture, Office of Experiment Stations, 1899
Smith, C. B.
Published as Circular (United States. Office of Experiment Stations) no. 42
Sample image of A manual for school-supervised gardening for the northeastern states - Part 2: Flowers
A manual for school-supervised gardening for the northeastern states - Part 2: Flowers
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1919
United States. School Garden Army
Published as United States school garden army manual no. 14
Sample image of A manual of school-supervised gardening for the northeastern states - Part 1: Vegetables
A manual of school-supervised gardening for the northeastern states - Part 1: Vegetables
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1919
United States. School Garden Army
Published as United States school garden army manual no. 13
Sample image of A manual of school-supervised gardening for the Western States
A manual of school-supervised gardening for the Western States
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1920
Stebbins, Cyril A. (Cyril Adelbert), b. 1878
Published as United States school garden army manual no. 1
Sample image of A suggestive schedule for the home-garden work in the south
A suggestive schedule for the home-garden work in the south
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1916
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home-garden circular 10
Sample image of Agricultural education, including nature-study and school gardens
Agricultural education, including nature-study and school gardens
Washington, D.C. : G.P.O., 1907
Jewell, James Ralph
Published as Bulletin (United States. Bureau of Education) 1907, no. 2
Sample image of Courses in school-supervised gardening for the northeastern states
Courses in school-supervised gardening for the northeastern states
Washington, D.C. : G.P.O., 1919
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as United States school garden army manual no. 2
Sample image of Cycles of garden life and plant life : a series of projects in nature study for elementary schools
Cycles of garden life and plant life : a series of projects in nature study for elementary schools
Washington, D.C. : G.P.O., 1925
Fox, Florence C., 1861-1933
Published as Bulletin (United States. Bureau of Education) 1925, no. 15
Sample image of Fall manual of the United States School Garden Army
Fall manual of the United States School Garden Army
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1918
United States. School Garden Army
Pubished as United States School Garden Army manual no. 4
Sample image of Flower growing for school children in the elementary grades
Flower growing for school children in the elementary grades
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1917
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home-garden circular no. 14
Sample image of Forty lessons in gardening for the northeastern states
Forty lessons in gardening for the northeastern states
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1919
United States. School Garden Army
Published as United States school garden army manual no. 10
Sample image of Garden manual for the southwestern region
Garden manual for the southwestern region
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1919
United States. School Garden Army
United States school garden army manual no. 9
Sample image of Garden projects in seed planting
Garden projects in seed planting
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1916
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home garden circular no. 13
Sample image of Home gardening for city children of the fifth, sixth, and seventh grades
Home gardening for city children of the fifth, sixth, and seventh grades
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1919
Gowans, Ethel
Published as United States school garden army manual no. 15
Sample image of Home gardening for town children
Home gardening for town children
Washington, D.C. : United States School Garden Army, Dept. of the Interior, 1919
Claxton, P. P. (Philander Priestly), 1862-1957
Published as School garden army leaflet no. 1, United States School Garden Army manual no. 3
Sample image of Home gardening for town children
Home gardening for town children
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1917
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home garden circular no. 16
Sample image of Hotbeds and coldframes for home gardens
Hotbeds and coldframes for home gardens
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1916
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home-garden circular 5
Sample image of How to make garden soil more productive
How to make garden soil more productive
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1916
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home-garden circular 7
Sample image of Instructions for school supervised home gardens
Instructions for school supervised home gardens
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1915
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home-garden circular 1
Sample image of Lessons in gardening for southwestern region
Lessons in gardening for southwestern region
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1919
United States. School Garden Army
Published as United States school garden army manual no. 11
Sample image of Lessons in gardening for the central states region
Lessons in gardening for the central states region
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1919
United States. School Garden Army
Publiished as Garden manual no. 2
Sample image of Lessons in gardening for the central states region
Lessons in gardening for the central states region
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1919
United States. School Garden Army
Published as Garden manual no. 1
Sample image of Lessons in school-supervised gardening for the Southeastern States : vegetables
Lessons in school-supervised gardening for the Southeastern States : vegetables
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1919
United States. School Garden Army
Published as Garden manual, United States School Garden Army manual no. 12
Sample image of List of publications for the use of school home-garden teachers
List of publications for the use of school home-garden teachers
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1916
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home-garden circular 11
Sample image of Nature study and gardening for rural schools
Nature study and gardening for rural schools
Tuskegee Institute, Ala. : Experiment Station, Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, 1910
Carver, George Washington, 1864?-1943; Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. Experiment Station
Published as Bulletin (Tuskegee Institute. Experiment Station) no. 18
Sample image of Nature's garden for victory and peace
Nature's garden for victory and peace
[Tuskegee] : Tuskegee Institute, 1942
Carver, George Washington, 1864?-1943
Published as Bulletin (Tuskegee Institute. Agricultural Research Experiment Station) no. 43
Sample image of Nature-study and gardening
Nature-study and gardening
Ithaca, N.Y. : Comstock Publishing Co., 1923
Vinal, William Gould, 1881-1973
Published in Nature-study review 19(5), p. 194-198
Sample image of Organic matter for the home gardens
Organic matter for the home gardens
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1915
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home-garden circular 4
Sample image of Part played by the leaf in the production of a crop
Part played by the leaf in the production of a crop
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1915
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home-garden circular 9
Sample image of Part played by the root in the production of a crop
Part played by the root in the production of a crop
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1917
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home-garden circular no. 15
Sample image of Planting the garden
Planting the garden
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1916
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home-garden circular 8
Sample image of Possibilities for school-directed home gardening in Atlanta, Georgia
Possibilities for school-directed home gardening in Atlanta, Georgia
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1917
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home-garden circular no. 17
Sample image of Raising vegetable plants from seed
Raising vegetable plants from seed
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1916
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home-garden circular 6
Sample image of School garden in the course of study
School garden in the course of study
Berkeley, Calif. : University of California, College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station, 1911
Babcock, E. B. (Ernest Brown), 1877-1954; Stebbins, Cyril A. (Cyril Adelbert), b. 1878
Published as Circular (California Agricultural Experiment Station) no. 62
Sample image of School gardens
School gardens
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1899
Gang, E.
Published in Education report, 1898-99, p. 1067-1084
Sample image of School gardens : a report upon some cooperative work with the normal schools of Washington, with notes on school-garden methods followed in other American
School gardens : a report upon some cooperative work with the normal schools of Washington, with notes on school-garden methods followed in other American
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1905
Galloway, B. T.
Published as Bulletin (United States. Office of Experiment Stations) no. 160
Sample image of School home garden results of 1916
School home garden results of 1916
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1917
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home garden circular no. 12
Sample image of School supervised gardening in New Hampshire
School supervised gardening in New Hampshire
Washington, D.C. : United States School Garden Army, Dept. of the Interior, 1919
United States. School Garden Army
Published as School Garden Army leaflet 93, United States School Garden Army manual no. 6
Sample image of Some types of children's garden work
Some types of children's garden work
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1912
Sipe, Susan Bender
Published as Bulletin (United States. Office of Experiment Stations) 252
Sample image of Suggestions for garden work in California schools
Suggestions for garden work in California schools
Berkeley, Calif. : University of California, College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station, 1909
Babcock, E. B. (Ernest Brown), 1877-1954
Published as Circular (California Agricultural Experiment Station) no. 46
Sample image of The need for gardening as an intermediate grade subject in city schools
The need for gardening as an intermediate grade subject in city schools
Ithaca, N.Y. : Comstock Publishing Co., 1923
Childs, Breta W.
Published in Nature-study review 19(2), p. 79-82
Sample image of The spring manual of the United States School Garden Army
The spring manual of the United States School Garden Army
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1919
United States. School Garden Army
Published as United States School Garden Army manual no. 5
Sample image of The winter vegetable garden
The winter vegetable garden
Washington, D.C. : Bureau of Education, 1915
United States. Bureau of Education
Published as School home-garden circular 3
Sample image of United States School Garden Army
United States School Garden Army
Washington, D.C. : U.S. G.P.O., 1919
Francis, J. H.
Published as Bulletin (United States. Bureau of Education) 1919, no. 26