{"id":16837,"date":"2026-06-03T19:56:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T19:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/?p=16837"},"modified":"2026-06-09T15:59:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T15:59:14","slug":"wild-spaces-its-time-to-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/en\/wild-spaces-its-time-to-plant\/","title":{"rendered":"WILD Spaces: It\u2019s Time to Plant!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Just joining in now? Check out the first blog in this journey: <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/en\/gardening-for-wildlife-connect-and-learn\/\"><em>Connect and Learn<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>&#x1f331;<\/strong><strong> It\u2019s Time to Plant!<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Spring has arrived, the soil is warming up, May long weekend has passed and it\u2019s time to get planting in your <a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/explore\/wild-spaces.html\">WILD Space<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p>Whether you received native plants through the <a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/explore\/wild-spaces.html\">WILD Spaces<\/a> program or sourced them locally, or grew them from seed, May is all about turning plans into action and watching your garden come to life.<\/p>\n<p>This month, we\u2019re focusing on planting with care, curiosity, and connection \u2014 and letting students get their hands dirty.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>&#x1f393;<\/strong><strong> Planting with Students: Learning in Action<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Planting day is more than a gardening task \u2014 it\u2019s a powerful learning moment. Consider inviting students to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Take turns planting and watering<\/li>\n<li>Label plants with markers<\/li>\n<li>Predict which plants pollinators might visit first<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/resources\/downloads\/webinars\/public\/sketching-in-nature.html\">Sketch or photograph the garden<\/a> before and after planting<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/en\/gardening-for-wildlife-connect-and-learn\/\">Reflect<\/a> on how the space feels now that plants are in the ground<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>&#x1f33c;<\/strong><strong> Planting Day\u00a0\u2014 Tips for Success<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Before you dig in, here are a few quick reminders to help your planting day go smoothly:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#x1f324;&#xfe0f; <strong>Choose the right day: <\/strong>Aim for a cool, overcast day or plant in the morning to reduce stress on young plants.<\/li>\n<li>&#x1f4a7;\u00a0<strong>Water before and after planting: <\/strong>Well\u2011hydrated plants adjust more easily to their new home.<\/li>\n<li>&#x1f4d0;\u00a0<strong>Give plants space to grow: <\/strong>\u00a0Follow spacing guidelines on your plant chart \u2014 crowding can make it harder for plants to thrive.<\/li>\n<li>&#x1f33f;\u00a0<strong>Mulch lightly: <\/strong>A thin layer of mulch helps retain moisture and protects soil.<\/li>\n<li>&#x1fab4; <strong>Be gentle with roots:<\/strong>\u00a0Students should loosen roots carefully and plant at the same depth the plant was growing in its pot.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Host a <a href=\"https:\/\/education.cwf-fcf.org\/wildspaces\/assignments\/1129863\">pollinator-themed lunch <\/a>to enjoy by your new garden. Don\u2019t forget to bring your <a href=\"https:\/\/education.cwf-fcf.org\/wildspaces\/assignments\/1129959\">garden exploration kit.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Teachers, you\u2019re doing a great job!<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>You probably already believe in what you\u2019re doing, but here\u2019s some more evidence that proves what you\u2019re doing is impactful.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.ashs.org\/view\/journals\/horttech\/11\/3\/article-p466.xml\">The Effect of School Gardens on Children&#8217;s Interpersonal Relationships and Attitudes Toward School<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodgoodgood.co\/articles\/benefits-of-school-gardens?utm_source=convertkit&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=%F0%9F%97%9E%EF%B8%8F%20Aprils%20top%20good%20news%20stories%20-%2021583880&amp;sh_kit=9afce3ffe87b5e32e224c9418e8e6beb0e1e9197b9a6041b3f23f3ea5cdf7aa7\">School gardens lead to more positive attitudes about the environment, study finds<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s42322-025-00243-2\">Student drawings reflect greater plant and insect diversity after schools install monarch butterfly gardens<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/PGoPtkNFybk?si=TjCwledIOXsc3IKO\">Growing minds by growing school garden<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Thanks For Growing with Us!<\/h3>\n<p>Thank you for creating space for wildlife and giving students the chance to learn, grow, and connect with nature. Every plant you add makes a difference \u2014 and we\u2019re so excited to see what you plant next! &#x1f338;&#x1f30d;<\/p>\n<p><em>If you discovered this blog on our website, be sure to sign up for the <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/explore\/wild-education\/?src=EL\"><em>WILD Spaces e\u2011blast.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"post-excerpt\">Just joining in now? Check out the first blog in this journey: Connect and Learn &#x1f331; It\u2019s Time to Plant! Spring has arrived, the soil is warming up, May long&hellip;<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":177,"featured_media":16838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[642],"tags":[1274],"class_list":["post-16837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-wild-spaces"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/177"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16837"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16858,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16837\/revisions\/16858"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}