BSA Gardening Badge

Earn your Gardening Merit Badge!

Gardening

Humans have been growing plants for thousands of years. Farmers and horticulturists make their living growing food and other plants, while other people grow gardens for pleasure. Becoming a good gardener requires a Scout to understand the science of growing plants—how to prepare the soil, how to select and plant seeds, and how to care for the growing plants.

Requirements

Do the following:

1. Grow six vegetables, three from seeds and three from seedlings, through harvest.
2. Grow six flowers, three from seeds and three from seedlings, through flowering.
   • Give the food value of the following:
     • Three root or tuber crops
     • Three vegetables that bear above the ground
     • Three fruits
3. Test 100 seeds for germination. Determine the percentage of seeds that germinate. Explain why you think some did not germinate.
4. Visit your county extension agent's office, local university agricultural college, nursery, or a botanical garden or arboretum. Report on what you learned.
5. Identify five garden pests (insects, diseased plants). Recommend two solutions for each pest. At least one of the two solutions must be an organic method.

Do ONE of the following:

• Build a compost bin and maintain it for 90 days.
• Build a vermipost bin (worm compost bin) and maintain it for 90 days.
• Build a hydroponic garden containing three vegetables or herbs, or three ornamental plants. Maintain this garden through harvest or flowering, or for 90 days.
• Build one water garden, either in a container (at least 12 by 6 inches and 6 inches deep), or in the ground as a small, decorative pond no larger than 6 by 3 feet and 24 inches deep. Maintain the water garden for 90 days.

Information taken from BSA ScoutSource--Gardening

Contact State Chairman:

Ruth Berry

340 College Lodge Rd

Indiana, PA 15701-4009