Junior Gardener Badge Workbook

This guide will help you lead your Girl Scout troop through the badge.

You'll want to print out the Garden Design booklet for the girls to look through.

You may also want to visit a garden in person or pull up a tour online.

Lastly, you will need supplies for planting seeds: seeds, planters or pots, and potting soil.

Page 1

Go over general garden information. Have the girls talk about different gardens they know about or have visited.

Page 2

Now talk more about where we can find gardens. Talk about botanical gardens in your area or any plants the girls have at their homes.

Page 3

Visit or take a virtual tour of a garden. Have the girls observe different plants. Then have them draw and describe a plant. Have them think about the plant's size, its needs such as sun, water and soil, and the plant's uses.

Page 4

Next, go over different garden designs. Use the Garden Design document and have the girls read about and observe different gardens.

Have them pick a garden type and fill out this page.

Page 5

We know gardens have different purposes. But what plants would we plant in each type?

The girls can work in groups, with each group assigned a type, and then share at the end. Or you can have them raise their hands and share.

This will help when they design a garden later in this booklet.

Page 6

Not all plants can survive in all climates. The US is very large and has many different climates.

There are geographical areas called Hardiness Zones. These zones guide what types of plants can survive in an area. There are 11 zones in the US.

Google your location to find your Hardiness Zone. As a group, list all the different types of plants that can be grown in your Hardiness Zone.

Page 7

Now that you know your zone and the types of plants you can plant, design a garden!

Mix different elements or stick to one design.

Have the girls think about when they'll plant, the purpose of the garden, and the type of maintenance that will be needed.

Page 8

Start a plant from a seed.

Supplies needed: cups or seed starters, seeds, potting soil.

Good seeds to try are peas, lettuce, green beans, tomatoes, marigolds, sunflowers and radishes.

Page 9

Now they can track the seed's growth over time. Make sure they understand how much water and sun the plant needs to grow.

They can measure it every week or every few days. Have them experiment with different placements to see which location results in the most growth.