Gardening & Food (Grades 6–8)

By middle school, a garden becomes a science lab: soil chemistry, genetics, statistics, and ecology all working in one square of dirt. Warden Hollis Thornbarrow runs Greenhollow like a real research station and treats your student like a field agent who works from data, not luck. Over 10 field operations across two weeks, your agent analyzes soil texture and pH, predicts germination with Punnett squares, works the chemistry of photosynthesis, designs a raised bed with area and volume, budgets irrigation, tunes a compost pile by its C:N ratio, runs yield statistics, maps the pollination network and food security, applies integrated pest management to exponential aphid growth, and designs a full year-round food garden for the capstone. Every operation ties advanced agronomy to real academics: ratios, percentages and statistics, geometry, scientific notation, etymology, data analysis, and research-cited argumentative writing. Printable and low-prep, with a complete worked answer key, teacher notes, and a capstone rubric — built to pair with real soil, seeds, and a live pest log. What's Inside: - 10 story-based field operations across 2 weeks, plus an independent research track - Soil chemistry, genetics, photosynthesis chemistry, the nitrogen cycle, pollination ecology, and IPM - Real applied math — ratios, statistics, geometry, and scientific notation — plus MLA/APA research and argumentative writing - A full answer key, teacher notes, a capstone rubric, and an Agronomist of the Greenhollow Garden certificate Part of the Gardening & Food series. ESA-eligible — pay with your ESA where your program covers curriculum.