Step Up for Students 2025-2026
We are officially an approved vendor with Step Up for Students!
Which means you can use the SUFS funds your homeschooled child receives towards organic gardening educational classes.
We do seasonal organic vegetable garden plantings, and also offer weekly organic gardening educational classes for your home garden.
Every gardening course includes hands-on education to successfully grow vegetables including: How to plant and seed, how to water, learning sunlight requirements, organic pest management, pruning and harvesting, and monthly organic fertilizing.
Choose from the Seasonal Menu: www.simplyorganicgardens.com
We recommend 3-6 months of classes per student 2 times a year to learn each planting season:
Spring and Summer Classes Starting in March, April or May through August.
Fall and Winter Classes Starting in September, October, or November through February .
Each season will require a separate Seasonal Planting Course.
Please reach out to us if you’re interested in learning more.
Tuition and fee schedule:
| Garden Size | Garden Bed Installation | Seasonal Planting Course (2x/year in March & September) | Weekly Courses | 2x/ month classes | Once a month class |
| 16 sq ft | $1,510 | $285 | $230/mo. | $175/mo. | |
| 32 sq ft | $3,015 | $515 | $325/mo. | $225/mo. | |
| 32 sq ft Basic | $2,500 | $515 | $325/mo. | $225/mo. | |
| 32 sq ft with rock | $3,380 | $515 | $325/mo. | $225/mo. | |
| 48 sq ft w/ mulch | $4,270 | $720 | $385/mo. | $275/mo. | $165/mo. |
| 48 sq ft w/ rock | $4,740 | $1,170 Includes Soil | $385/mo. | ||
| 60 sq ft | $880 | $450/mo. | |||
| 64 sq ft | $900 | $465/mo. | $340/mo. | ||
| 96 sq ft | $1,335 | $620/mo. | $450/mo. | ||
| 128 sq ft | $1,800 | $775/mo. | $575/mo. | ||
| 144 sq ft | $2,040 | $695/mo. | |||
| Virtual Garden Class | $45 | ||||
| Garden and food forest design class | $1500 | ||||
| Blueberry Planting Class – Clear and prep soil, 10 blueberries in 7 gallon pots | $490 ea. |
* Additional Costs Family Specific
- Additional plant support may be required based on seasonal menu selection.
- $45 tomato cage
- $65 a frame trellis
Weekly Gardening Class Curriculum:
Seasonal Planting Class:
- How to transplant
- How to seed and seed spacing
- Creating your garden map
- Why do we plant certain veggies and seed others
- Seasonal vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers
- What makes healthy soil
Lesson Week 1: Where and when to plant your Spring Garden
- Finding the best garden location
- When to plant each season
- Judging sunlight in your area
Lesson Week 2: How to Amend soil to prepare for planting
- Importance of tilling soil
- What nutrients are essential for successful plant growth
- Balancing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients
Lesson Week 3: Square foot gardening and companion planting
- Learning Florida friendly plant varieties
- Companion planting
- Principles of square foot gardening
Lesson Week 4: Planting and transplanting Spring vegetables
- Planting from seed versus transplanting starter plants
- Seed depths
- How to properly transplant vegetable plants
- Garden moisture management
Lesson Week 5: Reseeding and succession planting
- What is succession planting?
- Thinning out seedlings
- Reseeding where needed
Lesson Week 6: Fertilizing the garden
- How to fertilize
- What to fertilize with
- Fertilizing vegetables versus herbs and greens
Lesson Week 7: Pruning growing vegetables
- Best pruning practices for various vegetables
- Best pruning practices for herbs
Lesson Week 8: Harvesting
- When to harvest vegetables, greens, herbs
- How to harvest
Lesson Week 9: Organic pest management
- Treating caterpillars organically
- Treating aphids, thrips, whiteflies, spider mites organically
- Treating ants organically
Lesson Week 10: Fertilizing the garden
- How to fertilize
- What to fertilize with
- Fertilizing vegetables versus herbs and greens
Lesson Week 11: Pruning growing vegetables
- Best pruning practices for various vegetables
- Best pruning practices for herbs
Lesson Week 12: Continued education on pruning and harvesting mature plants
- Keeping plants in their allotted space
- Continuous harvesting versus replacements
Lesson Week 13: Midseason replacements
- When and how to replace your harvested plants
Lesson Week 14: Continued education on growing
- How to navigate seasonal weather changes
- Keeping the garden full with continuous seeding
- Learning your garden’s personality
- Adjusting moisture needs as plants mature
- How to utilize all of your harvest
- Determining
Lesson Week 15: Fertilizing the garden
- How to fertilize
- What to fertilize with
- Fertilizing vegetables versus herbs and greens
Lesson Week 16: Pruning growing vegetables
- Best pruning practices for various vegetables
- Best pruning practices for herbs
Lesson Week 17: Harvesting
- When to harvest vegetables, greens, herbs
- How to harvest
Lesson Week 18: Reseeding and succession planting
- What is succession planting?
- Thinning out seedlings
- Reseeding where needed
Lesson Week 19: Organic pest management
- Treating caterpillars organically
- Treating aphids, thrips, whiteflies, spider mites organically
- Treating ants organically
Lesson Week 20: Fertilizing the garden
- How to fertilize
- What to fertilize with
- Fertilizing vegetables versus herbs and greens
Lesson Week 21: Pruning growing vegetables
- Best pruning practices for various vegetables
- Best pruning practices for herbs
Lesson Week 22: Harvesting
- When to harvest vegetables, greens, herbs
- How to harvest
Lesson Week 23: Reseeding and succession planting
- What is succession planting?
- Thinning out seedlings
- Reseeding where needed
Lesson Week 24: Clearing Garden and Planning for Next season
- Determine what plants to keep and which ones need to be replaced seasonally.
- Make a plan for the next season’s planting.
- Source seeds and plants for the next season.