Gardening

Gardening requirements

1. Do the following:

   a. Explain to your counselor the most likely hazards associated with gardening and what you should do to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, and respond to these hazards.

   b. Discuss the prevention of and treatment for health concerns that could occur while gardening, including cuts, scratches, puncture wounds, insect bites, anaphylactic shock, heat reactions, and reactions from exposure to pesticides and fertilizers.

2. Do the following, and discuss your observations throughout the process with your counselor:

   a. Grow six vegetables, three from seeds and three from seedlings, through harvest.

   b. Grow six flowers, three from seeds and three from seedlings, through flowering.

3. Give the nutritional value of the following:

   a. Three root or tuber crops.

   b. Three vegetables that bear above the ground.

   c. Three fruits.

4. Test 100 seeds for germination. Determine the percentage of seeds that germinate. Explain why you think some did not germinate.
5. Visit your county extension agent’s office, local university agricultural college, nursery, or a botanical garden or arboretum. Report on what you learned.
6. Explain to your counselor how and why honeybees are used in pollinating food crops and the problems that face the bee population today. Discuss what the impact to humanity would be if there were no pollinators.
7. 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.
8. Do ONE of the following and record weekly observations. Discuss the results of your project with your counselor:

   a. Build a compost bin and maintain it for 90 days.

   b. Build a vermipost bin (worm compost bin) and maintain it for 90 days.

   c. Build a hydroponic garden containing three vegetables or herbs, or three ornamental plants. Maintain this garden through harvest or flowering, or for 90 days.

   d. 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.

   e. Prepare a honey super for use on a hive or colony. Remove a filled honey super from the hive or colony and prepare the honey for sale.

The official source for the information shown in this article or section is: Boy Scout Requirements, 2018 Edition (BSA Supply SKU #641568)

A FREE workbook for Gardening is available here! (PDF or Word) with the maps, charts, links, diagrams, and checklists you need! Or click here to print just the Gardening requirements.

meritbadge.org has PDF and Word versions of workbooks for Scouts BSA ranks and merit badges, Webelos adventures, Cub Scout ranks and adventures, and Nova awards.

• Per the BSA: "You should read the merit badge pamphlet on the subject." The Gardening merit badge pamphlet can purchased at ScoutSthop.org or at your local Scout Shop.
• "Get a signed Application for Merit Badge ... from your unit leader." An electronic, fillable, and printable PDF file version is available.

• Scouts BSA merit badges: Bird Study  •  Environmental Science  •  Fish and Wildlife Management  •  Forestry  •  Gardening  •  Geology  •  Insect Study  •  Mammal Study  •  Nature  •  Oceanography  •  Plant Science  •  Reptile and Amphibian Study  •  Soil and Water Conservation  •  Sustainability
• Scouts BSA awards: Conservation Good Turn Award  •  Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award  •  Outdoor Ethics Action Award  •  William T. Hornaday award  •  World Conservation Award
• Venturing Ranger Award electives: Ecology  •  Plants and Wildlife
• Venturer awards: Conservation Good Turn Award  •  Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award  •  Outdoor Ethics Action Award  •  William T. Hornaday award  •  World Conservation Award
• Wolf Scout: Paws on the Path  •  Grow Something  •  Requirements 1 and 2 from Spirit of the Water
• Bear Scout: Fur, Feathers, and Ferns  •  Bear Goes Fishing  •  Critter Care  •  Requirement 3 from Baloo the Builder
• Webelos Scouts (Including Webelos II's earning the Arrow of Light award): Building a Better World  •  Into the Wild  •  Into the Woods  •  Earth Rocks  •  Adventures in Science
• Cub Scout awards: Conservation Good Turn Award  •  World Conservation Award

• Scouts BSA awards: Complete Angler
• Scouts BSA merit badges: Art - Basketry - Bugling - Chess - Coin Collecting - Collections - Cooking - Digital Technology - Dog Care - Fishing - Fly-Fishing - Gardening - Genealogy - Golf - Hiking - Home Repairs - Horsemanship - Indian Lore - Leatherwork - Metalwork - Model Design and Building - Music- Pets - Photography - Pioneering - Pottery - Radio - Railroading - Reading - Rowing - Sculpture - Stamp Collecting - Wood Carving
  
• Venturing: Ranger Award electives: Cave Exploration - Cycling - Equestrian - Fishing

• An Introduction to Merit Badges – how to get started, who chooses the counselor, etc.
• Merit Badge revision dates – latest revision dates of each merit badge pamphlet.
• Merit Badge Worksheets & Requirements – with the revision dates, diagrams, charts, checklists, logs, and links you need.
• Merit Badge Application – offers online resources to let you print "Blue Cards," etc.
• Merit Badge FAQ – answers dozens of questions like: Who can be a counselor? Can requirements be added or removed?
• Merit Badges Requiring Prior Approval – Certain requirements need prior approval. Most do not. Here is the list.
• Also see: List of how many youths have earned each Merit Badge – Merit Badge policies – Merit badges required for the Eagle Scout rank – Merit Badge Days
• Additionally: List of Merit Badges by Field of Study – Merit Badge Pamphlets & Libraries
• Merit Badge Counselors must complete Youth Protection Training, file an Adult Application (and Merit Badge Counselor Information Form); and be approved by the local council. (See the Guide for Merit Badge Counselors for additional details.)
• See Submitting New Merit Badge Ideas for guidance on how to submit suggestions for new merit badges to BSA.