Middle School - Challenge 1: Miami, My Garden - Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

GRADES 6 to 8 | 2026-2027

Challenge 1: Miami, My Garden – Botanical Balconies

YOUR CHALLENGE:

Did you know that there are more than 40,000,000 million square feet of balconies in Miami Dade County? Besides being a big number , these spaces have the oppurtunity to be our city’s next green frontier. As cities grow and space becomes harder to find, buildings often have to grow upward, leaving less room for plants and green spaces. As cities struggle to find space for growing populations, the only place to go is up. Many balconies sit empty and forgotten. What if all of those balconies could make our city greener by adding mini gardens? Plant-filled spaces don’t just look better; they keep us cool during hot Miami summers, lower stress and anxiety, and provide food and homes for native birds and butterflies.

Through Fairchild’s new Million Balconies Project and the annual Miami, My Garden Challenge, you will design a balcony garden to help inspire developers and residents to transform their unused spaces. Before designing your balcony garden, imagine the specific balcony where your plant will grow. Consider how height, wind exposure, direction and strength of incoming sunlight, shade, and available space might affect plant growth. A balcony on the 12th floor of a condo may experience strong winds, while a second-floor balcony may only receive light breezes. An east-facing or west-facing balcony may get intense sunlight during part of the day, while a north-facing or south-facing balcony may receive more diffused light. Just as every garden site has unique growing conditions, balconies require thoughtful planning so plants can thrive.

Use any physical or digital medium to create a 2D rendering of a balcony garden that incorporates plants in innovative ways. Think of ways to garden vertically using plants that can thrive in non-traditional spaces, while considering the challenges that balcony gardens face. Write a 200-300 word description of your design that describes at least two strategies that overcome environmental challenges of the balcony space and identifies your design’s unique features. Share what benefits the balcony garden provides to better its homeowner and community.

Download information as one page with lesson plan – Coming Soon!

✓ Submission Requirements:
	Design of a balcony garden with a creative title. Original design can be created using digital techniques or traditional drawing/painting. The design should be scanned (if physical) and digitally submitted.
	Written description of 200-300 words (handwritten or typed in 12-point font) including: Details of the innovative design of their balcony garden At least two strategies that overcome the challenges of gardening on a balcony
	The written description must include the student’s first name, last initial, student grade level, teacher’s name, and school name.
	AI use is permitted in the Fairchild Challenge, but full disclosure of how it is used and what prompts were used is required. If AI use is detected without disclosure, the entry will be disqualified.
	Digital Entry Form with digital balcony garden design and written description attached
	On-time submission. Late submissions will be accepted with a reduction in points.
	Two submissions per school.