Your back-to-school to-do list

After a long summer away from the garden, there will be lots to do on your return to school. Explore our top tips and resources to help you get set for growing success this academic year.

02 September 2024

Gardening tasks for the autumn term:

  1. Remove any plants that were affected by warm weather and add them to your compost bin. You can make a new compost bin for your garden using recycled containers, bins or pallets. Explore our advice to learn more and find out what will make your heap happy.
  2. Speak to your class about the importance of water conservation and how the impact of drought can affect the food and plants we grow. Walk around the garden to see if you have space for a water butt that can help you save water for hot spells in the future.
  3. Clear out your sheds and polytunnels, taking note of the tools, pots and seeds you have left over from summer planting sessions. Help your class develop their understanding of safety in the garden with our helpful tips.
  4. Move any crops or plants that have outgrown their spaces into larger pots or raised beds. Autumn crops such as pumpkins or squashes will need extra watering and feeding during the coming weeks, lifted off the ground using straw or hay to ensure they don’t rot.
  5. After taking stock of the plants left in your space, decide what you want to grow in the autumn term. In September, many quick growing crops such as lettuce, radishes and spinach can be grown to keep your class motivated. Read through our monthly growing guides to make your list.

Resources to help embed growing in your school:

  • A guide to funding your school garden: funding can feel like a bit of a minefield. Our new funding guide is full of ideas to help you get started and engage with your school and local community, especially if you have no experience of fundraising or applying for grant funding.
  • Free online training for teachers: ‘Getting started with school gardening’ and ‘Basic horticultural skills for school gardening’ are our free eLearning courses that will help you to understand the key benefits of gardening in your school and give you the skills to get growing with your pupils.
  • National Education Nature Park: follow the five-step process and transform your school grounds from grey to green with our growing library of free quality-assured, curriculum-linked resources. See the collective difference you are making on our online map and contribute to scientific research on nature recovery.
  • Wellbeing through plants and gardening: support pupil wellbeing using our wellbeing walk guides, created in partnership with Place2Be, along with other opportunities and resources from across the RHS.
  • Bees: pollination, habitats and conservation: a teaching resource featuring month by month editable PowerPoint slides with information and learning activities about bees and other pollinators.
  • Make friends with molluscs: slugs and snails form an important part of the garden ecosystem. Learning to live alongside them is the best way to a balanced garden. Our Wild About Gardens booklet is packed with facts, identification guides and tips on how to protect your plants in a slug-friendly way.

Ready to get started?

Why not take part in our five-level School Gardening Awards scheme? Providing achievable goals to help your pupils gain the benefits that gardening brings, for each completed level you'll receive a certificate, digital logo and rewards to celebrate your achievement.

Learn more