Start a Garden in Your Community!

We are planning more Good Food Gardens this year, but you can help in your own community! You can start a garden in your own "backyard" - whether a school or your local community center.
Here's some info on how to do it, from our friends at Teich Garden Systems:
1. Organize a School Garden Committee - A school garden is a community project, so you'll need lots of support. Look into your school's Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and get them fired up about your mission. They can help let you know what is and is not possible within your school system, obtain teacher support, fundraise, faciliate legal and administrative approvals and much more.
2. Faculty Involvement - Teachers need to be with you for this to succeed! Enlist the support of one teacher who can be the connection to others. If teachers don't seem to be an option, try the principal or other administrative staff. You want at least one teacher or principal to be a member of your School Garden Committee in order to ensure a smooth process and garden success.
3. Preliminary Organization - Once you've formed your Committee it's time to think about a few things. Location - if you haven't already established this think about a site near an entrance to the classroom near a water source, if possible. Size and shape - how big of a garden do you want to build? What works with the site? What should it look like? And, finally, identify "showstoppers" - are there any economic, legal, regulatory, political or other factors that could bring your garden to a screeching halt? Figuring these out ahead of time will save everyone time and effort.
4. Pricing and estimates - Start thinking about costs to both build and maintain the garden. We recommend Teich Garden Systems of course, they can help walk you through this section if you are interested - www.teichgardensystems.com.
5. Approvals and Fundraising - Start fundraising for your garden immediately after you've obtained the necessary approvals from the school board, zoning, and others. The School Garden Committee should create a timetable for fundraising and set goals. You can advocate with local suppliers for deals on materials and labor for your garden - it never hurts to ask!
6. Site Visit, Final Plans - Walk through the garden with your vendors before construction begins. Finalize contracts to be sure your interests and that of your school are covered. Be sure to estimate how long construction should take and finalize prices.
7. Construction! - Building day is a big event. If you were successful in receiving in-kind donations, you'll want to make sure their delivery is coordinated in time for construction.
8. Enjoy! - Our Good Food Gardens come with a "user guide" with ideas on using the gardens, but you can find much of this info at www.teichgardensystems.com and other online resources. Hold a harvest day and reap the benefits of all your hard work! The children you've created this for will never forget it.