title: Food for thought: edible gardens in New Zealand primary and secondary schools.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  School gardens are a potentially important health promotion tool, allowing the growth and consumption of fruit and vegetables to be embedded within the students' educational experience. This study aimed to investigate the implementation of edible gardens in New Zealand (NZ) primary and secondary schools.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire mailed to principals from a randomly selected sample of 764 NZ schools included questions on whether or not the school had a garden and, if so, what produce was grown; how long the garden had been in place; how harvested crops were distributed; and curriculum integration.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 491 responding schools (64.3% response rate), 52.9% currently had an edible garden - with most gardens started in the previous two years. Vegetables, herbs and tree fruit were commonly grown. Gardens were integrated into curriculum subjects, cooking lessons, recipes and messages promoting increased fruit and vegetable consumption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Edible gardens were common within NZ schools, though often relatively new, and were used for teaching in a variety of curriculum areas. SO WHAT?: Given the current popularity of school gardens, there are opportunities to deliver health promotion messages regarding consumption of fruit and vegetables, and for these to be reinforced by real life experience growing and preparing healthy food.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.affiliation: Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Reeder
authors.affiliation: Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gray
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D005638:Fruit; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables