University of Georgia Cooperative Extension will be offering a free, online school garden symposium for educators starting at 10 a.m. June 16.

Four one-hour presentations will be presented on the following topics:

• Fruit in the school garden — Ashley Hoppers, Gilmer and Fannin County Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension agent
• Seed saving — Rosann Kent, lecturer, Department of Education, University of North Georgia
• Vermiculture — Josh Fuder, Cherokee County Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension agent
• Using the Great Georgia Pollinator Census with school gardens — Becky Griffin, Extension school and community garden coordinator

Participating teachers will learn four presentation-related activities that they can take back to the classroom with them, according to Griffin, who is organizing the workshop. There will be time during the webinar for questions and networking.

“They’ll be activities that teachers can use during the first couple of weeks of school,” she said.

Educators who attend all of the presentations and complete the activities are eligible for a certificate of completion for continuing education credit. 

The topics covered were requested through teacher surveys and to address previous problems that some school garden coordinators have reported.  

“We are also aware of what school gardeners could face going into the school year, so we’ll be ready for those things. I’ve had some teachers contact me and ask how they can participate in the pollinator census even if they’re not back in school, so we’re going to address that,” said Griffin.

To register for the event, visit schoolgardenwebinar0616.eventbrite.com. To learn more about school garden resources from UGA Extension, visit extension.uga.edu/programs-services/school-garden-resources or call 1-800-ASK-UGA1.