Go to top IPM in the Outdoor Classroom By Patty Lucas, IPM Specialist Thinking of developing an outdoor classroom next spring - now is the time to begin incorporating IPM, Integrated Pest Management, into your curriculum. Whether the outdoor classroom is a butterfly garden, a vegetable garden or an area used to grow native plants, using IPM techniques can enhance your students learning opportunities. Integrated Pest Management is a program that can help students understand the relationship between plants and the environment. For example, if you are planning an outdoor classroom now is a good time to have the soil tested for the area. Your local county extension office can provide the form, instructions, and a sample box for taking a soil sample.
Many offices have soil probes that can be borrowed to use in taking samples.
There is a small fee for processing the sample. Your soil sample will be mailed to the University of Kentucky Soil Testing Laboratory. Once the sample has been analyzed, a report will be returned to your local county extension office. Your local county extension agent for agriculture or horticulture can help you interpret the results of your sample. Start your outdoor classroom out right by use IPM techniques such as soil testing.