Hi everyone,

I am in need of a lot of ideas. Here is what's going on.

Next year, my family might be hosting a lot of Japanese exchange students. We are currently working out a bunch of details and logistics about this program, but it looks like it's going to happen in April 2024.

I decided that I wanted to do a gardening program for these exchange students to take part in. I have a very big property, plenty of room to install raised beds or dig in ground.

My family agrees that a gardening program might be good to help teach them useful skills like gardening, but I'm trying to figure out many things.

Here is where I need some ideas, and I would like some input on this.

First, what kind of vegetables should we grow? I am in zone 6A, just so you know. Perhaps I should let them decide what they want to grow?

Second, do you think I should do raised beds or an in ground garden? I can do either because I have a very large property space.

Finally, does anybody have any ideas about what else I can do for this program?

I really need some ideas.

Any help will be appreciated,

Jared

Tomatoes and peppers for sure. Do different colors and types of tomatoes. Same for peppers but don't go over your heat tolerance.

Zucchini is nice because you can use it to sub for many ingredients in foods like brownies but only do 2 plants at most because you'll have more than you can eat, use or donate.

Squash is great but gets hit with borers pretty bad.

Any in root veggies. Carrots, potatoes, beets, etc that you know you would eat.

You have enough room for corn which is pretty easy as well.

Cauliflower and broccoli can be hard for some people to grow so that's up to you if you want to mess with them.

Anything leafy. Most are easy to grow, just a matter of taste.

Maybe look up what's common in Japan and see if you can't incorporate some of their common veggies with yours so they have a taste of home as well.

Green beans. Super easy to grow. In fact I grow mine every year in concrete blocks because my garden space is limited here (unlimited at other house but gotta get set back up) and they do just fine.

As for location. I personally prefer in ground so you can use what you have and easily add to it. If you can find a source for manure now is the time to start adding it to improve the texture of the soil where the garden will go or to even pile it somewhere until it's time to till it in. You can never add too much of it during the off season.

I think you should try and get input from the students. Is this what they had in mind for their visit? What ages? How long will they be here? 6 or 8 weeks isn't much of a window for seed to harvest.

I have no idea what the students program is about, but respectfully, I don't think you can assume they want to learn gardening from you or do a great deal of garden work.

Look up an Asian seed vendor site- I used to see Kitazawa. I bought from one called Evergreen but I think they went out of business.
Baker Creek also sells a lot of unusual veg and from all over the world.

How wonderful!

I agree with Sally. Also, I think it's nice for exchange students to be introduced to their host families' regular everyday lives. If I recall, you're quite new to gardening yourself. (?) What else do you usually do that you could introduce them to?

Do you live near a big city? They'd probably love to see that to compare to home, but especially any natural wonders in your state. Being from a small island, the wide-open spaces of the west might be especially awe-inspiring.

If this is an ongoing, organized exchange program, you should receive a lot of guidance ahead of time. Have fun!

@NMoasis, @sallyg,

These are high school students, who according to the email my father got, are "tired of going to school in Japan." They are members of my church, so they will go to church seminary and institute as well as school. The program that is working with us is called Mikuni, by the way.

We are still working out a lot of details, but so far we think it's gonna happen by April 2024. They are really eager to send people over.

I figured that gardening might be a good skill for them to learn, as well as something to help keep them busy when they're not at school. That's one of the reasons why I wanted to start a gardening program within this program.

You both have a valid point, though. Maybe we should ask the students what they would like to grow. If we're able to grow it in my zone, we can definitely grow it in the upcoming season.

@pepper23, I appreciate all of your advice so far. It helps me out a lot.

Thanks again all of you.

Jared

By the way, I failed to add that I am not fairly new to gardening. I still have a lot to learn, but I've been gardening since I joined this forum.

jnicholes said: By the way, I failed to add that I am not fairly new to gardening. I still have a lot to learn, but I've been gardening since I joined this forum.

My mistake, Jared. I must be mixing you up with someone else. Nothing wrong with exposing them to gardening!

I've never heard of the option for students to go overseas because they're tired of school in their own country. Looks like Mikuni is an international school and provides overseas options, and students from the US go there to study as well. I couldn't access their site without security warnings on my phone, but I got the gist.

NMoasis said: My mistake, Jared. I must be mixing you up with someone else. Nothing wrong with exposing them to gardening!

I've never heard of the option for students to go overseas because they're tired of school in their own country. Looks like Mikuni is an international school and provides overseas options, and students from the US go there to study as well. I couldn't access their site without security warnings on my phone, but I got the gist.

Huh. That's odd about the security warning. I got it also and I don't know why.

Here is the site from Japan. The drawback is it is all in Japanese, but the pictures might give you some ideas.

https://www.mikunijapan.org/

On second thought, just grow what you normally would. I'm sure some is familiar to them and what isn't will be novel and fun. Heck, actually seeing food grow would be novel and fun to very many American students as well.

I love this idea! Take them shopping with you to your favorite garden center, as well as your local big-box store. They can experience those aspects of American commerce. Let them each pick out a thing or 2. Maybe they'll choose something that reminds them of home, or maybe they'll choose something new and exotic -- a good thing either way! Later in the season, you could take them to a "U-Pick" operation as well.

They say a host should never experiment on a new recipe when inviting guests for dinner.

These students are coming over here to experience and to learn from you (from us.) So grow your garden like you always have. Let them enjoy being and learning with you.

Asking them what they'd like to grow would put them on the spot, but also does them a (though kindly motivated) disservice.