School gardens have a significant pedagogical and didactic-methodical function in the practice of elementary schools. As the primary source of knowledge, they are most often used in the teaching of nature and society. In the theoretical part of the paper, the history, function and development of school gardens, examples of good practices and obstacles that teachers most often encounter when working in a school garden will be displayed. By researching the practice of teacher work, it is to examine the functions, frequency, nature and society contents, and the forms of teaching that are carried out by nature and society classes in school gardens. For the purpose of research, a survey questionnaire was prepared which the respondents filled out anonymously. The study was attended by 41 teachers from Istria and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The research results indicate that teachers use a school garden in nature and society classes occasionally, or sometimes sometimes most often when weather or other conditions permit. In other words, teaching nature and society in a school garden is spontaneous, when teachers feel that certain conditions are met. The barriers to which classroom teachers most often encounter when working in a school garden are also explored. Research findings suggest that the main obstacles to the development and maintenance of a school garden are the lack of material and finance, lack of time and support from parents and the local community, and lack of motivation and knowledge of the workforce in the school garden. The nature and society teaching activities were also studied, which are usually realized in the school garden. The results indicate that the ecological, health and natural contents of the objects of nature and society are most often realized in the school garden. Based on the results obtained, it is concluded that respondents believe that the key functions of a school garden are provided by research-based teaching, that it provides experience in discovering first-hand content and that it allows for free time in a healthy environment. There was a statistically significant correlation between individual forms of teaching and content of objects of nature and society. Based on the results of the research, the guidelines for the improvement and promotion of the school garden are proposed as an important and useful educational tool.