1.04 Planting a Pizza and Spaghetti Herb Garden
This is Lesson 1.4 (“Planting a Pizza and Spaghetti Herb Garden”) from the National FFA Mentoring Program’s Grow Your PALS Program Guide, Plants and Gardening unit. In this large-group lesson, students taste pizza to discover that herbs add flavor, learn to define and identify common cooking herbs (oregano, garlic, basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary), and properly plant and care for a container-grown herb garden. It includes an interest approach, content/teaching strategies, review questions, application ideas, an assessment, and handouts on planting, harvesting, and drying herbs.
At a glance
- Learning objectives
-
- Define the term herb.
- Identify common cooking herbs used in pizza and spaghetti.
- Properly plant and care for a container-grown herb garden.
- Time required
- 50 minutes
- Materials
-
- Cooked cheese pizza (size depends on number of students)
- Pizza cutter
- Napkins
- Small paper plates (enough for one piece of pizza per student and for samples of dried herbs)
- PALS.1.4.LG.AS.A and PALS.1.4.LG.AS.B – needed for instructor only
- Dried herbs: oregano, garlic, basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary
- Live herb plugs (if available): oregano, garlic, basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary
- Selected herb seeds/bulbs (use seed only if plugs not available)
- 8-inch Azalea pots or 4-quart plastic ice cream buckets for growing herbs (one per student)
- Potting soil (enough to fill every planting pot 3/4 full; split into two containers)
- 2 coffee cans (or similar size cans for scooping soil into planters)
- 3 popsicle sticks for each student (used as planting markers; pre-label sticks with herb names)
- Address or adhesive labels with each student's name (for labeling planters)
- Calendar (used to mark dates when plants will be ready for harvest)
- Writing surface with markers
- Unit
- Plants and Gardening
- Lesson Type
- Large Group
- Precepts
- D. Character — D.5 Practice self discipline
- Key Terms
- Herb, Oregano, Garlic, Basil, Thyme, Parsley, Rosemary
- Resources
- www.indoorherbgarden.org
Downloads & Links
Aligned Standards
National Standards
- FPP.04.02.02.a.Identify and describe products derived from fruits and vegetables.
- NL-ENG.K-12.12Applying Language Skills
National Standards (AFNR)
- PS.03.02.02.a.Explain the reasons for preparing growing media before planting.
- PS.03.02.03.a.Demonstrate proper planting procedures and post-planting care.