Many thanks to ACTSmart Schools for this great list of why you should have a vegetable garden at your school.

1. 
   The garden provides a context for understanding seasonality and life cycles.
2. It’s an opportunity to work cooperatively on real tasks.
3. Sensory experience becomes a part of a child’s day at school.
4. The garden provides opportunities for one-on-one time for teachers and students to talk.
5. The garden creates a common experience to build on in multiple settings – from classroom to celebration.
6. 
   Students understand the role of food in life – the garden allows us to improve nutrition and highlight healthy foods.
7. Students learn about where food really comes from.
8. Garden experiences reinforce classroom curriculum.
9. Gardens provide opportunities for community involvement – a link with neighbours, volunteers, parents and community businesses.
10. A garden offers opportunities to teach life skills such as gardening and cooking.
11. The garden setting helps broaden the way teachers look at both curriculum and their students.
12. The garden provides a connection for the students to their school.
13. The garden can provide a context for rituals and celebrations.
14. A garden promotes risk taking, such as trying new foods, activities and friends.
15. Students value the garden – their sense of pride and ownership discourages vandalism.
16. The garden offers opportunities for students to practice their observation skills.
17. In the garden students build vocabulary both small and large.
18. The garden offers opportunities to integrate curriculum across subject areas.
19. In the garden, students can observe all of the principles of ecology in practice.
20. The skills and messages students learn about healthy food in the school garden can be transferred back to their homes.