All worksheets / Gardening
Edition 2026Active Merit Badge
Gardening
Official Requirements & Fillable Workbook · 2026 Edition
Gardening teaches the botany, horticulture, soil science, and ecological care needed to cultivate healthy plants and food. You will learn garden safety and chemical handling, grow 6 vegetables and 6 flowers from seeds and seedlings through harvest/flowering, analyze the nutritional value of produce, perform a 100-seed germination test, visit an agricultural institution or botanical garden, examine pollinator ecology, control pests using organic methods, maintain a 90-day garden or compost project, and explore careers in horticulture.
Key Requirements Covered:
- Soil Preparation, Testing & Composting
- Seed Germination & Transplanting
- Pest Management & Companion Planting
- Harvesting, Storage & Culinary Use
8Printable Pages
9Requirements
2025Reqs Revised
What is on the worksheet: Gardening Requirements
Every requirement for the Gardening merit badge, word for word as published, with room to write under each one on the printed worksheet.
1Gardening Hazards and First Aid
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.
2Growing Vegetables and Flowers
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.
3Nutritional Value of Crops and Produce
Give the nutritional value of the following:
- a Three root or tuber crops
- b Three vegetables that bear above the ground
- c Three fruits
4100-Seed Germination Test
Test 100 seeds for germination. Determine the percentage of seeds that germinate. Explain why you think some did not germinate.
5Agricultural or Botanical Facility Visit
Visit your county extension office, local university, agricultural college, nursery, farm, botanical garden, or arboretum. Report on what you learned.
6Honeybee Pollination and Global Impact
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.
7Garden Pests and Organic Solutions
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.
890-Day Gardening Project and Observation Log
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.
- f Grow a garden of your own using soil from seed or plantings to harvest or for 90 days, whichever is earlier. This can be an outdoor garden or indoors using appropriate containers, and should include at least three types of plants approved by your counselor.
9Careers and Hobbies
Do ONE of the following:
- a Identify three career opportunities that would use skills and knowledge in gardening. Pick one and research the training, education, certification requirements, experience, and expenses associated with entering the field. Research the prospects for employment, starting salary, advancement opportunities and career goals associated with this career. Discuss what you learned with your counselor and whether you might be interested in this career.
- b Identify how you might use the skills and knowledge in gardening to pursue a personal hobby and/or healthy lifestyle. Research the additional training required, expenses, and affiliation with organizations that would help you maximize the enjoyment and benefit you might gain from it. Discuss what you learned with your counselor and share what short-term and long-term goals you might have if you pursued this.
Two dates, two different things
Requirements Revision vs. Worksheet Date
Scouting America last revised the Gardening requirements in 2025. That is the badge, not this sheet — an older year does not mean the worksheet is out of date.
Verbatim Fidelity & Verification
This worksheet was checked against https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/gardening/ in Aug 2026 and reproduces the requirements word for word. Both dates are printed on the sheet, so a copy in a binder can always be placed in time.
Requirement text is © Scouting America, reproduced verbatim. The worksheet layout and design are original to this project.
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