Quantify Your Pizza

Educational garden

Introduction

Activity Topic

Environmental education, education to sustainable development

Organisation

Welt Teller Feld

Legal Status

NGO

Year of Establishment

2017

Location

Schilfweg 20c/1, 1220 Wien, Austria (Ecke Schilfweg / Otto-Weber-Gasse)

The association “The Kleine Stadt f branch” (KSF) has existed since 2017 and operates on an area of more than 5 hectares with various educational, agricultural and social projects. The farm can be visited and also has two farm shops, including restaurants. She promoted a “field to fork” diet. KSF has recently financed an employee for growing vegetables for sale.

The association organizes on-site events such as team building or workshops for adults and children. It is also funded by the government

Activity Description

Aims and Outcomes

The objective of this project is to raise awareness among young people and make the garden educational by allowing children to understand and visualize the quantities necessary for their diet and the space that this requires with an example that speaks to everyone: pizza. Details are provided on the cultivation of each ingredient. The result of this project was the installation of descriptive panels of different sizes in the garden at the place where the foods used to make a pizza are grown. The panels contribute to educational activities in the garden. Designing it with small circular plots for each plant makes it visually appealing while keeping the space organized.

Implementation Steps

Choose the Right Location

Find a sunny spot with at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day. Ensure the soil drains well; if water tends to pool, consider raised beds or large containers to improve drainage.

Design the Circular Layout

Instead of rows, arrange plants in small circles, each dedicated to a specific ingredient.
Larger plants, like tomatoes and peppers, need wider circles with more space between them.
Smaller plants, like basil and oregano, can fit into tighter circles closer together.
Leave at least 12 inches between circles for good airflow and easy access.
Use mulch or small stones between circles to retain moisture and reduce weeds.

Select & Plant Ingredients

Tomatoes: A central or large circle, with a stake or cage for support.
Basil & Oregano: Smaller circles near tomatoes to deter pests and enhance flavor.
Garlic & Onions: Planted in the outer circles to help repel pests.
Peppers (Bell, Jalapeño, Banana, etc.): Medium circles with optional stakes for support.
Thyme & Rosemary: Planted along the perimeter, as they prefer drier soil.

Care for Your Garden

Watering: Keep soil evenly moist but avoid overwatering.
Mulching: Helps retain moisture and prevent weeds.
Fertilizing: Add compost or organic fertilizer every few weeks.
Pruning: Trim tomato leaves and regularly harvest herbs to encourage growth.

Harvest & Enjoy!

Pick tomatoes when they are deep in color and firm. Basil and oregano should be harvested before they flower for the best flavor. Garlic and onions are ready when their tops dry out, and peppers can be picked at different stages depending on your taste preference.

Advantages and Benefits

The panels and growing surfaces demarcated by circles allow school visiting the garden to acquire knowledge about the plants necessary for making a pizza, the surface used on an individual scale. This is a very concrete example and easily assimilated for a young audience.

Required Competences and Skills

To create cultivation zones on an individual scale and install professional panels you need various resources such as: money, time, space, knowledge, willingness to gather information and a company for the creation supports.

Evaluation

The effectiveness of the initiative can be collected from children or teachers during the oral visit, in the form of a game. Visitors can also be observed to see how they interact with the panels and find out their questions.

Conclusions

The activity aims to raise children’s awareness of environmentally friendly eating by teaching them how the foods they find in their pizza grow. They can thus visualize the necessary space and become aware of the resources essential to their diet. By installing signage in the form of a panel, this initiative aims to inform visitors about local and living food. The long-term goal is to increase awareness and knowledge about growing food in the garden.

Advice / Recommendation

To reproduce this activity, start by assessing the needs of the public hosted on site and thinking about the visual aspect in its entirety, being the most understandable of all. Gather knowledge from the team and establish signage content and placement for optimal impact. Consider applying for grants to cover the costs of creating professional signage.