Math in the Garden

The garden provides a plethora of opportunities to practice basic mathematical activities such as calculations, comparisons, measurements, and varied repre- sentations of data (charts, graphs, etc.). Math becomes practical and relevant when students implement concepts they have learned in the classroom in a real- life garden setting. Designing and planting a garden takes mathematical problem solving and practice. The hands-on applications presented by gardening activities

can help to motivate students often confused by abstract textbook questions and

examples. Here are a few math activity ideas:

​

• Measure the growth rates of plants and display results on different types of graphs. Make predictions regarding future growth. Use standard and nonstandard units of measurement.

• Host a bean race. Plant a number of beans at the base of a trellis and track their growth on a chart. Determine the rate of growth and award the fastest plant a blue ribbon.

• Using information from seed catalogs, predict dates of germination and maturity. Plan backward from a desired harvest date to determine when each crop should be planted.

• Measure your garden parameters and calculate the area. Use graph paper

• to make a map to scale of your garden.

• Calculate amounts of fertilizer to use per quart and per liter of water.

• Chart temperatures of the air and soil in your garden in fahrenheit and centigrade.

• Determine the weight and volume of soil mix when wet and dry. Determine the volume of soil in a rectangular window box.

• Investigate vegetable prices in a supermarket. Track the amount of produce harvested indoor garden and use the market prices to determine the value of your harvest.

• Count the number of seeds planted and the number of seeds that sprout and calculate the germination rate.

• Measure the height of a group of plants and determine the mean, median, and mode.

• Calculate serving sizes of different fruits and vegetables using common cooking supplies.

• Make a recipe that uses fruits and vegetables from the garden and require various measuring techniques.

​​

​Source: California School Garden Network: Gardens for Learning